BX  925  . 

F4 

1 

Feeney , 

Bernard, 

1843 

or 

4 

1919. 

The  Cathol ic 

Sund 

ay  school 

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^^'C'.'li  1938 

THE   CATHOLIC 
SUNDAY  SCHOOL: 


SOME  SUGGESTIONS 

ON  ITS 

AIM,  WOEK,  AND  MANAGEMENT 


By  rev.  BERNARD^ FEENEY 

AUTHOR    OF    "  MANUAL    OF     SACRED    RHETORIC,"    "  LES- 
SONS   FROM    THE    PASSION,"    "  HOME    DUTIES," 
"  HOW    TO    GET    ON,"  ETC 


WITH  INTRODUCTIOX  BY  MOST  REV.  JOHN" 
IRELAND,  ARCHBISHOP  OF  ST.  PAUL 


ST.  LOUIS,  MO.,  AND  FREIBURG   (BADEN) 

Published  by  B,  Herder 

1907 


Nihil  obstat. 

S.  Ivudovici,  die  28  August!,  1907, 

F.  G.  HoLWECK,  Censor. 

Imprimatur. 

t  Joannes  J.  Glennon, 

Archiepus  Sti.  Ludovici. 


Copyright,  1907,  by  Rev.  Bernard  Keenet. 
All  Rights   Reserved. 


CONTENTS 


Chap, 

I. 

Chap. 

II. 

Chap. 

III. 

Chap. 

IV. 

Chap. 

V. 

Chap. 

VI. 

Chap. 

VII. 

Chap. 

VIII. 

Chap. 

IX. 

Chap. 

X. 

Chap. 

XI. 

Chap. 

XII. 

Chap. 

XIII. 

Chap. 

XIV. 

Chap. 

XV. 

Chap. 

XVI. 

Chap. 

XVII. 

Chap. 

XVIII. 

Chap. 

XIX. 

Chap. 

XX. 

Chap. 

XXI. 

Chap. 

XXII. 

Appendix  : 

Introduction 

General  Idea  of   Sunday  School 
Aim    and    Scope    of    Sunday    School 

Work 

Necessity   of   Sunday   School 

The  Director 

Teachers:   How  to  Procure  Them 
Teachers  :  Their  Qualifications 
Instruction  of  Teachers   . 


Rudimentary  Moral  Training 
Gradation  of  Classes   . 
The  Prayer  Class    . 
The  Confession  Class  . 
The  Communion  Class  . 
The  Confirmation  Class    . 
The  Perseverance  Class    . 
Order  of  Exercises  ... 
Sunday  School  Apparatus 
Co-operation  of  Parents    . 
Religion  in  the  Catholic  Sc 
A  Catholic  Revival  . 
The  Divine  Teacher 
Pius  X  on  the  Teaching  of 
tian   Doctrine 
iii 


Chris 


page 

V 


9 

15 

22 

32 

42 

55 

Gl 

67 

77 

84 

90 

108 

118 

136 

153 

1G8 

180 

188 

194 

202 

211 

217 


INTRODUCTION 

I  have  requested  Rev.  Bernard  Feeney  to  put 
into  print  the  lectures  given  by  him,  during  the 
past  year,  to  the  students  of  the  Seminary  of  St. 
Paul.  I  believe  that  a  perusal  of  those  lectures 
will  be  of  service  to  the  pastor  of  souls,  one  of 
whose  chief  duties  is  the  instruction  of  childhood 
and  of  youth  in  the  lessons  of  the  Catechism.  The 
lectures,  it  may  be,  teach  few  things  that  are  new ; 
but  the  old  things  which  they  do  teach  are  of  such 
vital  importance  in  the  exercise  of  the  pastoral 
charge  that  lest,  now  and  then,  they  slip  from  mem- 
ory, or  be  overlooked  in  practice,  frequent  effort 
should  be  made  to  hold  them  ever  in  vivid  freshness 
before  the  mind  of  the  priest,  so  long  as  he  is  left 
by  the  Master  to  his  work  of  teacher  and  sanctifier 
of  the  little  ones  of  the  flock.  Olden  things,  too, 
may  be  made  new  in  being  adapted  to  new  needs 
and  new  circumstances.  And  this  is  what  happens 
in  the  present  instance.  Father  Feeney  speaks 
for  our  age  and  for  the  special  circumstances  at- 
tending the  work  of  the  priest  in  our  country.  His 
lectures  are  eminently  practical ;  and  this  is  no 
small  merit  in  a  treatise  on  Catechetics. 

V 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

The  time  to  fasten  mind  and  heart  to  the  teach- 
ings and  the  practices  of  religion  is  that  of  child- 
hood and  of  youth.  The  rule  is — such  the  boy  or 
the  girl,  such  the  man  or  the  woman.  The  excep- 
tions are  most  rare ;  they  should,  in  the  work  of  the 
priest,  be  counted  as  non-existent.  How  fearful, 
then,  the  responsibility  resting  upon  the  priest! 
Every  child  in  the  parish  must  be  well  instructed 
in  its  religion :  else,  almost  certainly,  the  future  has 
in  store  for  the  Church  another  nominal  or  tepid 
Catholic,  if  not  another  betrayer  of  holy  faith.  He 
is  not  the  shepherd,  who  does  not  know  by  name 
every  lamb  of  the  flock;  who  does  not  supply  it 
with  food  and  drink;  who  does  not  follow  it  when 
it  wanders  afar,  to  wrest  it  from  the  perils  of 
briars  and  thorns  amid  which  it  may  have  fallen ; 
who  is  not  able  to  say  to  the  Lord,  that  through  his 
neglect  or  indifference  not  one  has  been  lost  of 
those  confided  to  his  watchfulness.  Whatever  else 
the  priest  does — building  churches,  preaching  ser- 
mons, guiding  and  exhorting  the  elders — his  parish 
is  on  the  eve  of  ruin  and  death,  if  the  children  are 
not  instructed;  whatever  else  he  overlooks  along 
the  lines  of  ministerial  labor,  the  parish  will  sur- 
vive and,  one  day,  will  be  rich  in  blossom  and  fruit, 
if,  within  its  borders,  the  children  have  been  cared 
for  and  duly  taught  to  know  and  to  love  the  Al- 


INTRODUCTION  Vll 

mighty  God,  to  know  and  to  love  the  Saviour  and 
His  Holy  Catholic  Church, 

The  true  shepherd  never  forgets  that  the  Lord 
will  demand  from  him  an  account  of  every  child, 
who,  at  any  period  of  his  pastorship,  was  under  his 
jurisdiction  to  be  duly  instructed  in  the  teachings 
and  the  precepts  of  divine  faith. 

But  what  do  the  words  mean — The  child  must  be 
duly  instructed  in  the  teachings  and  the  precepts  of 
divine  faith?  Is  the  work  done,  when  the  child  is 
able  to  repeat  the  letter  of  the  Catechism,  from  the 
first  to  the  last  chapter?  To  think  so,  were  a  fatal 
mistake.  The  most  valuable  part  in  Father 
Feeney's  book,  which  above  all  others  I  commend 
to  the  reader's  attention,  is  that  in  which  he  tells 
what  the  religious  instruction  of  the  child  must 
ever  mean,  what  that  instruction  is  which  alone  will 
last  into  coming  years  and  bear  fruit  unto  the  sav- 
ing of  the  soul. 

The  child,  indeed,  must  be  made  to  learn  by 
heart  the  text  of  the  Catechism.  There  must  be 
lodged  in  the  memory  formulas  of  doctrine,  norms 
of  belief,  around  which  lessons  of  teachers,  readings 
and  experiences  of  later  years  can  group  them- 
selves in  explanation  and  development.  Formulas 
of  doctrine  are  too  serviceable  in  the  preservation 
and  the  growth  of  faith,  to  be  overlooked  or  neg- 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

lected  in  the  training  of  the  Christian  child.  But 
formulas  not  thoroughly  understood  and  assimi- 
lated into  active  thought  are  mere  beatings  of  the 
air.  Every  word  of  the  Catechism  must  be  ex- 
plained in  language  that  the  child  easily  grasps. 
The  classic  terms,  so  numerous  in  Catholic  theology, 
must  be  translated  into  plain  English  words.  Ab- 
stract ideas  must  be  reduced  to  concrete  forms 
through  imagery  from  the  common  things  with 
which  the  mind  of  the  child  is  familiar.  The  teach- 
ing of  the  Catechism  is  the  breaking  of  the  bread  of 
the  strong  for  use  by  the  humble  and  the  weak. 
In  speaking  to  the  child,  the  teacher  must,  as  it 
were,  make  the  limited  intelligence  of  the  child  to 
be  his  own,  and  then  address  it  in  words  the  mean- 
ing of  Mdiich  it  readily  understands.  A  test  of 
success  will  be  that  the  child,  at  the  close  of  the 
lesson,  is  able  to  put  the  formulas  it  has  at  first 
learnt  by  heart  into  words  of  its  own  finding, 
drawn  from  its  daily  manner  of  thought  and 
speech. 

Great  care  must  be  taken  to  guard  the  child  from 
imagining  that  religion  is  something  apart  from  the 
life  of  humanity,  or  from  its  own  personal  life, 
a  mere  abstraction  of  thought  or  an  isolated  entity, 
not  to  be  encountered  in  other  regions  of  knowledge, 
unrelated  to  daily  thinking  and  acting.     Here  is 


INTRODUCTION  IX 

one  of  the  gravest  defects  in  the  teaching  of  the 
Catechism,  one  of  the  most  fateful  causes  of  un- 
belief or  of  neglect  of  religious  duties  in  later 
years.  Keligion  is  presented  to  the  mind  some- 
what as  a  dry  mathematical  theorem,  void  of  con- 
creted existence,  with  the  result  that  it  quickly 
vanishes  from  the  memory,  or,  if  it  is  remembered, 
remains,  through  later  life,  what  it  was  in  the 
beginning,  a  supramundane  dream,  a  formless  ab- 
straction utterly  separate  from  the  living  world  of 
men,  unconnected  with  the  work  and  the  aspirations 
of  practical  activity. 

The  foundations  of  religion  should  be  shown  to 
have  their  place  in  the  universe  around  man,  in  the 
being  of  man  himself.  Illustrations  to  this  effect 
may  be  drawn,  in  a  manner  perfectly  intelligible  to 
the  child,  from  the  order  and  the  beauty  of  earth 
and  sky,  from  the  rudimentary  sciences  learnt  in 
the  school-room,  from  the  affections  and  hopes  vi- 
brating with  the  child's  own  heart.  Revealed  re- 
ligion should  be  shown  to  be  a  vital  part  of  the 
history  of  hiunanity  throughout  its  many  ages. 
The  story  of  the  patriarchs  and  the  prophets  will 
be  narrated;  the  Incarnation  and  the  Uedcmp- 
tion  will  be  studied  in  Bethlehem  and  on  Calvary, 
in  the  miracles  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  the  establish- 
ment and  the  continued  duration  of  the  Church. 


X  INTRODUCTION 

Dates  and  facts  will  be  recalled,  so  as  to  make  the 
mysteries  of  divine  truth  appear  as  human  reali- 
ties, from  which  the  world  in  its  ever-continued 
evolutions  cannot  loosen  itself.  The  virtues  to  be 
preached  to  the  child  must  be  exemplified  by  the  re- 
hearsal of  the  acts  of  the  Lord,  and  of  His  saints 
and  followers.  Equally  so  must  sacraments  and 
prayers  be  explained  by  actual  applications  to  the 
circumstances  of  life,  by  detailed  appointments  of 
times  and  places,  by  practical  exemplifications  of  the 
conditions  of  soul  that  should  accompany  them  and 
of  the  results  in  thought  and  act  that  follow  from 
them.  No ;  the  Catechism  is  not  taught,  religion  is 
not  infused  into  the  living  soul,  there  to  remain 
and  produce  fruit,  without  a  materialization  of  its 
truths  and  precepts,  a  concretion  of  the  spirit  of 
the  divine  in  nature  around  us  and  within  us. 
This  is  most  true  even  in  the  teaching  we  owe  to 
the  adult  Christian:  but  yet  more  emphatically 
true  is  it,  when  we  are  in  the  presence  of  the  child, 
incapable  of  abstract  reasoning,  to  whose  soul  ac- 
cess is  scarcely  possible  if  it  be  not  through  the 
visible  and  the  tangible. 

Nor  is  mere  intellectual  instruction  sufficient  for 
the  religious  education  of  the  child.  Intellectual 
instruction  is  necessary ;  it  is  the  fount  from  which 
all  else  will  flow.     But  the  child  must  be  led,  as 


INTRODUCTION  XI 

by  the  hand,  to  put  into  daily  practice  the  truths 
with  which  its  mind  has  been  saturated,  to  attune 
to  them  its  will,  to  dit!fuse  through  its  whole  daily 
life  the  rays  of  light  encircling  its  higher  faculty. 
This  training  of  the  child  in  practical  religion  must 
be  frequent,  almost  continuous,  so  that  faith  be- 
come a  habit  under  which,  almost  without  previous 
thought,  or  constraint  of  will,  the  soul  moves,  as  by 
instinct,  along  the  pathway  of  belief  and  piety. 
How  forceful  such  habit  will  be  in  resisting  the 
dreadful  temptations  sure,  in  later  years,  to  con- 
front manhood  and  womanhood,  in  repressing  the 
storms  of  passion  sure,  from  time  to  time,  to  burst 
into  fury  to  the  menace  of  peace  and  innocence! 
When  we  consider  the  awful  perils  of  faith  and 
virtue  inseparable  from  the  atmosphere  of  unbe- 
lief and  indifference  with  which  we  are,  perforce, 
surrounded,  what  else,  we  may  ask,  but  the  deeply 
rooted  habit  of  faith  will  steady  the  soul  beneath 
the  attacks  of  error  and  moral  evil,  allowing  it 
time  to  pray  for  grace  and  to  gather  together  its 
forces  for  the  final  effort  towards  victory?  One 
of  the  most  precious  safeguards  of  the  Christian 
through  his  earthly  pilgrimage  is  the  habit  of  faith 
and  virtue :  childhood  is  the  season  of  its  forma- 
tion ;  early  religious  instruction,  the  means  of  im- 
planting it  in  the  soul. 


Xll  INTRODUCTION 

Clearly  the  teaching,  speculative  and  practical, 
for  which  I  plead,  is  not  a  matter  of  months,  or  of 
a  limited  number  of  years.  Father  Feeney  calls  for 
the  religious  instruction  of  the  child  from  its 
seventh  or  eight  year  to  the  fifteenth  or  the  six- 
teenth. He  is  eminently  right.  Many  are  the 
years  devoted  to  secular  education,  to  instruction  in 
science  and  mathematics,  in  literature  and  history. 
Is  religion  less  important  than  the  branches  of 
secular  knowledge  marked  upon  the  catalogues  of 
grammar-school  or  college?  Or  is  religion  more 
easily  learnt?  Religion,  as  understood  and  prac- 
ticed in  the  Catholic  Church,  is  science  and  art 
of  highest  form,  complex  and  extensive  in  range  of 
doctrine  and  law,  intricate  and  arduous  in  its  rules 
of  discipline.  It  is  no  religiosity,  no  mere  senti- 
mental uplifting  of  the  soul  towards  God ;  no  vague 
belief  in  the  Written  "Word,  no  simple  code  of  nat- 
ural morals.  Religion,  in  the  Catholic  Church, 
means  dogmas,  sacraments,  commandments  of  God 
and  of  the  Church,  together  with  manifold  tradi- 
tions and  devotions.  All  these  must  be  known  and 
practiced  by  the  Catholic,  in  a  lesser  or  greater  de- 
gree, as  his  faith  is  less  or  more  enlightened,  or 
his  piety  less  or  more  fervent.  But,  even  the  lesser 
degree,  that  which  constitutes  the  something  more 
than  the  nominal  or  the  superficial  Catholic,  is  so 


INTRODUCTION  XIH 

wide-embracing  that  it  is  reached  only  through  se- 
rious and  protracted  study.  To  the  Catholic  child, 
the  learning  of  the  Catechism  is  no  holiday  task: 
long  time  and,  meanwhile,  hard  work  are  the  neces- 
sary conditions. 

I  shall  not  argue  against  the  notion  that  the  in- 
struction sufficient  in  a  Catholic  child  is  provided 
for  by  Catechism  classes,  preparatory  to  first  com- 
munion and  to  confirmation,  covering,  in  each  case, 
as  it  usually  happens,  six  or  eight  weeks.  The 
absurdity  of  the  notion  is  apparent,  so  soon  as  men- 
tion is  made  of  it. 

Local  circumstances  in  each  parish  determine  the 
form  best  suited  in  the  organization  of  the  school 
of  religion.  Parishes  differ  very  much,  one  from 
another,  in  material  means,  in  the  number  of  Cath- 
olics, in  the  greater  or  lesser  proximity  of  the  popu- 
lation to  one  common  centre.  Manifestly,  no  one 
form  can  be  indicated  as  befitting  all  parishes.  Sev- 
eral possible  forms  are  discussed  by  Father  Feeney. 
The  main  point  to  be  borne  in  mind,  is  that  child- 
hood and  youth  must  be  adequately  instructed  in 
the  faith.  That  much  said,  the  pastor  will  decide 
for  himself  as  to  means  and  methods.  Means  and 
methods  are  secondary  matters,  provided  the  end 
is  sure  to  be  ultimately  attained. 

The  ideal  in  the  teaching  of  the  Catechism  is  the 


Xiv  INTRODUCTION 

Catholic  school,  where  the  religious  instruction  goes 
hand  in  hand  with  the  secular,  where  religion  takes 
its  place  in  the  daily  programme  of  studies,  where 
the  atmosphere  is  permeated  and  perfumed  with 
faith  and  piety,  entering  every  moment  into  the 
very  soul  of  the  child,  and  fashioning  it  into  the 
living  exemplar  of  things  divine.  Nothing  sup- 
plies the  place  of  the  Catholic  school  in  the  religious 
formation  of  mind  and  of  heart.  The  child,  left 
outside  its  portals,  will,  nearly  always,  be  wanting 
afterwards  in  Catholic  life  and  spirit,  whatever 
other  means  were  devised  to  develop  in  him  the 
germinal  graces  of  his  baptism.  The  true  priest 
will  make  every  sacrifice  to  build  up  a  Catholic 
school,  whenever  the  undertaking  is  at  all  within 
reach,  and  will  spare  no  effort  to  induce  parents, 
by  persuasive  word,  in  season  and  out  of  season,  to 
entrust  to  it  the  education  of  the  little  ones. 

In  the  Catholic  school,  no  matter  who  be  the  or- 
dinary teachers,  no  matter  how  well  fitted  they  be  to 
impart  religious  instruction,  the  priest  has  his  own 
work  which  he  must  not  delegate  to  others.  In  the 
religious  education  of  children,  the  teachers  of  the 
school  are  the  auxiliaries,  the  substitutes  of  the 
priest.  Their  teaching  the  priest  is  bound  to  sup- 
plement by  direct  teaching  of  his  own.  Their 
words  he  must  seal  and  confirm  with  his  priestly 


INTRODUCTION  XV 

voice  and  authority.  The  priest  is  the  divinely  ap- 
pointed teacher  of  religion :  the  child  must  be  made 
to  recognize  his  sacred  office,  and  to  profit  by  its  in- 
fluences and  graces.  The  priest  is  by  divine  com- 
mission the  teacher  of  religion ;  the  teacher  of  re- 
ligion to  the  entire  flock  he  must  ever  be,  in  act  as 
well  as  in  profession. 

Nor  is  all  done  in  a  parish,  when  it  is  endowed 
with  a  Catholic  school,  and  the  priest  is  taking  his 
share  in  the  work  of  the  religious  instruction  of 
the  pupils.  Not  always,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  does  the 
Catholic  school-house  harbor  all  the  children  of 
the  parish.  Some  there  are  who  attend  other 
schools;  those  must  be  carefully  followed  up  and 
brought  within  the  reach  of  religious  instruction. 
The  children  outside  the  Catholic  school  should,  in 
a  manner,  be  the  special  objects  of  pastoral  zeal. 
They  are  the  needy ;  in  charity,  as  well  as  in  justice, 
they  appeal  to  the  special  compassion  of  the  priest. 
In  his  letter  on  "The  Teaching  of  Christian  Doe- 
trine"  Pius  X  says:  *'In  the  larger  cities,  espe- 
cially, where  there  are  public  academies,  colleges 
and  universities,  let  classes  of  religious  doctrine  be 
established  for  the  purpose  of  teaching  the  truths 
of  faith  and  the  precepts  of  Christian  morality  to 
the  youths  who  attend  such  public  institutions 
wherein  no  mention  is  made  of  religion." 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

How  to  give  a  sufficiency  of  religious  instruction 
to  the  children  of  a  parish,  where  there  is  no 
Catholic  school,  or  to  the  children  who  do  not  at- 
tend the  Catholic  school  where  one  is  to  be  found,  is 
one  of  the  most  serious  problems  awaiting  the  at- 
tention of  the  pastor  of  souls.  Classes  are  to  be 
organized  under  competent  teachers,  and  the  chil- 
dren must  be  induced  to  take  part  in  them.  But 
tasks  these  are  that  challenge,  to  the  utmost,  the 
zeal,  the  energy,  the  tact  of  the  priest. 

In  small  missions,  the  priest,  perhaps,  is  able  to 
teach  all  the  children  of  the  parish,  dividing  them 
off  into  different  classes  and  appointing  for  each 
class  a  special  day  or  hour.  When  this  is  pos- 
sible, nothing  better  need  be  sought.  No  lay  per- 
son will  influence  the  children  as  will  the  priest; 
no  lay  person  will  know  so  well  how  to  break 
to  the  little  ones  the  bread  of  spiritual  life.  But 
there  are  the  larger  parishes,  where  the  pastor, 
even  with  the  cooperation  of  assistant  priests,  can- 
not suffice.  In  those  cases  he  must  invoke  the  aid 
of  intelligent  men  and  women,  who  under  his  coun- 
sel will  gladly  lend  aid  to  his  ministry.  The 
choice  of  such  helpers  must  be  made  with  greatest 
judiciousness;  constant  attention  must  be  given 
to  hold  them  to  their  work  and  fit  them  to  do  it  in 
the  proper  manner.     Father   Feeney  treats  very 


INTRODUCTION  XVU 

completely  this  question  of  lay-teachers  in  classes 
of  Christian  doctrine.  I  need  add  nothing  to  his 
words. 

But  the  teachers  secured,  the  problem  remains, 
how  to  secure  the  attendance  of  the  children? 
"Hoc  opus,  hie  labor."  We  may  argue,  as  we 
wish,  as  to  the  responsibilities  resting  upon  the 
parents  or  upon  the  children  themselves.  Chil- 
dren will  prefer  the  quiet  of  the  home,  or  the  joy 
of  the  play-ground;  parents  will  be  indifferent  or 
indolent  in  the  discharge  of  their  duties.  Mean- 
while, the  souls  of  the  little  ones,  remitted  by  the 
Saviour  to  the  love  and  the  care  of  the  priest,  are 
perishing  of  hunger  and  thirst,  and  the  ranks  of  the 
future  soldiers  of  the  Church  are  being  woefully 
depleted.  The  priest  it  is  who  will  come  to  the 
rescue,  if  a  priest's  heart  beats  within  his  breast. 
His  first  work  is  to  make  up  a  census  of  the  parish, 
so  as  to  know  who  attend,  and  who  do  not  attend 
the  classes.  Then  absentees  should  be  visited 
in  their  homes  and  invited,  coaxed  even,  to  attend. 
The  roll  will  be  called  regularly,  at  the  opening  of 
the  class ;  those  who  fail  to  answer,  will  be  reminded 
of  their  fault,  either  by  a  card  sent  through  the 
post-office  or  by  a  personal  visit.  Nothing  pleases 
children  so  much  as  a  proof  of  this  kind  that  they 
are  remembered  by  the  priest,  that  they  are  missed 


XVlll  INTRODUCTION 

when  tlieir  seat  in  the  class  is  vacant.  Let  the  class 
be  made  interesting  to  the  pupils — so  interesting  that 
they  will  seek  there  pleasure  no  less  than  instruction. 
Appeals  will  be  made  to  their  conscience :  the  senti- 
ment of  duty  to  God  and  to  their  own  souls  will 
be  quickened  by  language  that  stirs  up  the  emotions 
of  the  heart,  while  it  convinces  the  mind.  There  will 
be  a  timely  distribution  of  sacred  pictures  and  pious 
booklets.  Each  year  there  will  be  the  reading  of 
notes,  the  distribution  of  medals  and  of  other 
tokens  of  reward — something  to  which  the  child 
will  have  been  looking  forward  with  gladsome  ex- 
pectancy throughout  the  preceding  year.  But, 
some  one  will  say,  how  much  labor  all  this  presup- 
poses, how  much  gentle  patience,  how  much  pater- 
nal love  and  winning  tact !  True,  most  true.  But 
will  anything  less  succeed  in  bringing  children  to 
the  classes  and  holding  them  there  week  after  week 
in  punctual  attendance?  And  if  a  priest  is  not 
equal  to  so  much  labor,  so  much  patience,  so  much 
tact,  does  not  the  question  arise,  is  he  equal  to  the 
responsibilities  of  the  ministry  of  souls? 

At  the  close  of  the  lessons  given  by  lay-teachers, 
the  pupils  of  the  several  classes  will  be  brought 
together  to  listen  to  a  short  address  from  the  priest. 
In  this  manner  the  priest  keeps  himself  in  direct 


INTRODUCTION  XIX 

touch  with  the  pupils,  and  will  leave  upon  all  the 
impress  of  his  personal  influence. 

Classes  preparatory  to  first  communion  and  to 
confirmation  will,  of  course,  be  in  all  cases  taught 
by  the  priest  himself. 

Where,  as  it  often  happens  in  western  dioceses, 
the  population  of  a  parish  is  spread  over  a  wide 
territory,  with  families  quite  remote  from  the 
church,  the  remedy  is  in  the  formation  of  several 
centres  of  religious  instruction,  use  being  made 
of  school-houses,  or  of  the  homes  of  pious  and  will- 
ing Catholics.  To  each  centre  teachers  will  be  ap- 
pointed; and  teachers  and  pupils  will  receive  fre- 
quent visits  from  the  pastor. 

The  crowning  of  the  work  of  the  religious  in- 
struction of  childhood  and  of  youth  is  the  "Cate- 
chism of  Perseverance. ' '  This  might  be  designated 
the  post-graduate  course.  The  pupils  are  now  of 
mature  years,  and  capable  of  higher  mental  effort. 
They  are  in  need,  too,  of  special  training  of  thought 
and  of  affection,  in  view  of  the  perils  and  trials 
awaiting  them  in  the  broad  world  beyond  the 
threshold  of  which  they  are  so  soon  to  venture. 

The  priest  himself  will  be  the  teacher  of  the 
** Catechism  of  Perseverance."  He  will  discuss, 
largely,   the   "apologetics"   of   religion.     He  will 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

treat  of  the  being  and  the  personality  of  God,  the 
spirituality  and  the  immortality  of  the  human  soul. 
He  will  unfold  the  historic  proofs  of  a  divine  rev- 
elation, bring  into  light  the  divine  authority  of 
Holy  Writ,  illustrate  the  establishment  and  the 
history  of  the  Church.  Nor  will  he  neglect  to  re- 
view separately  each  one  of  the  chief  doctrines  of 
the  faith,  each  one  of  the  seven  sacraments — giving 
in  every  ease  the  exact  teaching  of  the  Church,  to 
guard  against  current  mis-statements,  assigning  to 
dogmas  and  to  sacraments  their  several  places  in 
the  general  economy  of  the  supernatural  order  and 
in  the  scheme  of  the  Redeemer  for  the  sanctifica- 
tion  of  souls.  Nor  will  he  neglect  to  picture,  much 
more  fully  than  in  classes  of  younger  children,  the 
moral  beauty  of  Christian  conduct,  to  warn  against 
temptation  and  sin,  to  tell  of  the  helps  to  victory  to 
be  gained  from  fidelity  to  prayer  and  to  practices 
of  piety.  And,  throughout,  he  will  supplement  his 
own  words  by  references  to  standard  books  on  each 
subject,  urging  that  the  books  be  sedulously  read, 
thus  fostering  a  taste  for  religious  reading — a  thing 
to  which  our  laity  are,  to  their  grave  misfortune, 
almost  totally  unused. 

I  am  aware  of  the  peculiar  obstacles  the  priest 
must  encounter  in  keeping  up  a  "  Catechism  of  Per- 
severance," obstacles  much  harder  to  be  overcome 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

than  those  previously  encountered  in  lower  classes 
of  Christian  doctrine.  Nor  do  I  believe  that  he 
may  count  on  the  attendance  of  a  large  number  of 
youths.  Nevertheless,  I  insist  that  the  ' '  Catechism 
of  Perseverance"  be  an  institution  of  the  parish, 
that  utmost  care  be  expended  upon  it,  that  urgent 
invitation  to  take  part  in  it  be  frequently  spoken. 
Some,  at  least,  will  attend  the  class;  and  these, 
later,  will  be  an  "elite"  of  Catholic  intelligence, 
the  leaders  of  Catholic  thought  and  action,  by 
whom  the  whole  parish  will  be  leavened  into  a 
higher  Catholic  life.  The  "Catechism  of  Perse- 
verance" is  so  beneficial  to  religion,  and,  on  the 
whole,  is  so  well  within  the  reach  of  energetic  zeal, 
that  no  true  priest  will  fail  to  establish  it  in  his 
parish  and  to  watch  over  it  as  the  very  apple  of  his 
eye. 

Will  it  be  said,  as  page  after  page  of  Father 
Feeney's  book  is  turned  over,  that  he  is  asking  too 
much  from  the  pastor  of  souls  ?  I  do  not  think  so. 
It  is  too  plain  that  the  religious  instruction  of 
childhood  and  of  youth  is  one  of  the  most  impor- 
tant duties  of  the  ministry  and  that  nothing  under 
what  has  been  stated  suffices  to  provide  this  in- 
struction in  requisite  measure.  Who  hold  in  the 
hand  the  childhood  of  to-day,  hold  in  the  hand  the 
manhood  and   the  womanhood  of  to-morrow,  the 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

whole  future  of  the  Catholic  Church  in  America. 
Tell  me  to  what  degree  the  children  of  the  Church 
are  being  instructed  in  the  faith;  and  I  will  tell 
whether  victory  or  defeat  awaits  us  in  the  coming 
years. 

John  Ireland, 
Archbishop  of  St.  Paul. 


THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY 
SCHOOL 

CHAPTER  I 

GENERAL   IDEA   OF   SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK 

A  Catholic  Sunday  School  is  a  religious  service 
in  which  our  Catholic  children  learn  to  know 
and  love  their  religion  and  are  trained  as  much 
as  possible  in  the  practice  of  it. 

Its  regular  work  consists  of  the  following  ex- 
ercises: 1.  Opening  prayer;  2.  Roll-call;  3.  A 
hymn ;  4.  "  The  Daily  Practice ; "  5.  Review  of 
last  lesson;  6.  Recitation  of  the  day's  lesson;  7. 
Explanation  of  the  next  lesson;  8.  Director's  ad- 
dress; 9.  A  hymn;  10.  Concluding  prayer  and  dis- 
missal. 

The  first  of  these  exercises  that  calls  for  expla- 
nation is  "the  Daily  Practice."  This  is  a  prayer, 
a  virtue,  or  some  other  pious  work  recommended 

1 


2  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

the  preceding  Sunday  for  practice  during  (he 
week.  The  children  are  asked  to  examine  them- 
selves regarding  its  observance,  and  to  make  an  act 
of  sorrow  for  voluntary  neglect  of  it. 

The  object  of  the  division  of  the  teaching  work 
into  Review,  Recitation,  and  Explanation,  is  this. 
By  a  threefold  repetition  of  the  lesson,  it  is  ex- 
pected that  a  lasting  impression  of  the  truth  taught 
will  be  made  on  the  soul  of  the  child.  Hence, 
the  lesson  explained  on  Sunday  is  memorized  dur- 
ing the  week,  recited  the  following  Sunday,  and, 
a  week  afterwards,  reviewed  by  the  teacher.  In 
each  of  these  exercises  (Explanation,  Recitation, 
and  Review),  all  hard  words  are  defined,  a  para- 
phrase of  each  answer  is  given,  and  an  intelligent 
knowledge  of  the  lesson  is  impressed  on  the  mem- 
ory and  imderstanding.  But  the  teacher  aims  at 
something  beyond  this — something  without  which 
the  truth  remains  a  dead  formula.  He  strives 
to  picture  it  to  the  imagination,  to  stir  up  the 
emotions  most  directly  suggested  by  it,  to  make  it 
personal,  and  to  bring  out  distinctly  and  forcibly 
its  practical  bearing  on  the  child's  daily  life. 

Let  us  not  deceive  ourselves.     There  is  no  real 


IDEA  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK       3 

teaching  of  religion  without  some  such  present- 
ment of  it  to  the  imagination,  feelings,  conscience, 
and  will.  Religion  is  not  a  philosophy  that  can 
be  learned  through  definitions  and  formulas.  It 
is,  above  all  things  else,  the  Christian  shaping 
and  regulation  of  man's  life,  of  which  shaping 
and  regulation  the  memorizing  and  understanding 
of  a  catechism  lesson  are  but  the  beginning — the 
starting-point — the  foundation. 

Few  things  need  bringing  home  to  the  Catholic 
Sunday  School  more  than  this,  that  the  teaching 
of  Christian  truth  and  duty  is  not  the  whole  or 
the  chief  work  it  has  to  do.  Its  mission  is  to  the 
whole  soul — the  whole  child,  not  only  to  its 
memory  and  intellect,  but  to  its  heart  and  will, 
to  its  conduct  in  the  home,  the  church,  the  school, 
on  the  street  and  on  the  playground — in  a  word, 
to  its  whole  life.  Much  of  this  training  can  be 
done  in  Sunday  School ;  but  the  greater  part  of 
it  has  to  be  done  in  the  home,  under  the  super- 
vision of  parents.  Hence  the  necessity  of  their 
cordial  cooperation. 

The  following  are  some  examples  of  the  religious 
and  moral  training  that  may  be  practised  in  the 


4  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

Sunday  School :  Decorum  on  entering  and  leav- 
ing church;  how  to  take  Holy  Water;  reverence 
in  the  presence  of  the  Most  Holy  Eucharist;  how 
to  pray;  how  to  hear  Mass;  how  to  receive  the 
Sacraments  (the  children  are  put  through  the 
different  actions);  courtesy  and  kindness;  obe- 
dience; self-control,  etc.  Besides  these  practices, 
each  class  makes  acts  of  faith,  hope,  charity,  con- 
trition, thanksgiving,  etc.,  in  accordance  with  the 
truths  taught.  Example:  God  lived  and  walked 
in  human  form  on  this  earth  of  ours,  to  prove  to 
us  how  much  He  loves  us,  and  to  win  our  love 
in  return.  Let  us  tell  Him  from  our  hearts  that 
we  love  Him.  ''0  my  God,  I  love  Thee  with  my 
whole  heart." 

There  can  be  no  real  teaching  in  a  Sunday 
School,  nor,  indeed,  anywhere  else,  unless  the  pu- 
pils actually  learn  what  is  taught  them.  Hence, 
attention,  interest,  and  cooperation,  on  the  child's 
part,  are  as  essential  as  clear  exposition  and  im- 
pressive enforcement,  on  the  part  of  the  teacher. 

In  other  words:  teaching  and  learning  are 
correlatives. 

Sunday  School  teaching,  however  efficient  it  may 


IDEA  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK      5 

be,  does  not  produce  grace.  It  prepares  the  way 
for  it — disposing  the  mind  and  heart,  removing 
obstacles,  urging  motives,  pointing  out  Jesus 
Christ  to  the  child:  but  it  is  Jesus  Christ 
Himself  who,  by  His  Holy  Spirit,  draws  the 
child;  it  is  He  alone  who,  by  the  same  Holy 
Spirit,  gives  supernatural  enlightenment  to  its  un- 
derstanding and  supernatural  inspiration  to  its 
will,  by  which  it  is  enabled  to  believe,  hope,  love, 
repent,  etc.  Our  action  as  teachers,  therefore, 
is  solely  preparatory  and  dispositive.  "I  have 
planted,"  writes  St.  Paul,  "Apollo  watered,  but 
God  gave  the  increase."  (I  Cor.  iii,  6.)  "Unless 
the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that 
build  it."  (Ps.  cxxvi,  1.).  Hence,  the  cure  of 
bad  habits,  and  the  practice  of  Christian  virtue, 
and  the  use  of  the  helping  means  of  grace  are 
wholly  due  to  the  free  cooperation  of  the  child 
with  the  light  and  help  given  it  by  the  Holy 
Ghost.  Therefore,  anyone  attributing  such  spir- 
itual effects  to  his  own  efforts,  deprives  God  of 
the  glory  which  belongs  to  Him,  and  deserves  no 
blessing  on  his  work.  "When  you  shall  have  done 
all    these   things   that   are   commanded   you,    say: 


6  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

"We  are  unprofitable  servants;  we  have  done  that 
which  we  ought  to  do,"     (Luke  xvii.  10.) 

The  crowning  work  of  a  Sunday  School,  then, 
does  not  wholly  depend  on  the  exertions  of  the 
director  or  the  teachers.  Children  who  have  been 
taught  their  religion  thoroughly  will  sometimes 
neglect  it  in  after  life.  The  Sunday  School  is 
not  to  blame ;  and  those  engaged  in  it  need  not 
be  discouraged.  The  drill-sergeant  is  not  held  ac- 
countable for  the  desertion  of  the  soldier  in  the 
face  of  the  enemy.  It  would,  indeed,  be  dis- 
heartening in  the  extreme  to  know  that  the  bulk 
of  the  children  we  teach  and  train  would  fall 
away  from  the  Church  and  be  ultimately  lost. 
But  our  reliance  on  the  mercy  and  love  of  our 
Father  in  Heaven  inspires  us  with  confidence,  that 
the  seed  we  plant  with  such  anxious  care  will  not 
die,  but  will  grow  and  produce  manifold  fruit. 
"Going  they  went  and  wept,  casting  their  seeds. 
But  coming  they  shall  come  with  joy  fulness,  carry- 
ing their  sheaves. "     (Ps.   cxxv,  5,  6.) 

The  sanctification  of  the  child  is,  then,  God's 
share  in  its  religious  education.  Hence,  one  of 
the  chief  agencies  by  which  that  sanctification  is 


IDEA  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK      7 

secured,  namely,  prayer,  must  be  a  prominent  feat- 
ure of  every  Sunday  School.  The  director  and 
teachers  must  themselves  vividly  realize  its  im- 
portance, which  they  must  also  inculcate  with  all 
possible  force  on  their  children.  They  must  make 
it  an  essential  part  of  their  own  preparation; 
and  they  must  have  frequent  recourse  to  it  in 
every  lesson.  Let  such  class-prayer,  however,  be 
short  and  informal;  let  it  be  directly  connected 
with  the  subject  explained;  and,  better  still,  let  it 
be  the  culminating  point  of  some  aroused  emo- 
tion: and  we  need  never  fear  that  it  will  weary 
or  alienate  the  class.  On  the  contrary,  most  of 
them  will  feel  a  keen  zest  for  such  short  prayers, 
and  will  set  higher  value  on  our  teaching  on  ac- 
count of  them.  Love  of  prayer  is  the  surest  test 
of  an  efficient  Sunday  School. 

Another  test,  not  so  crucial  or  unequivocal,  yet 
absolutely  necessary,  is  organization,  discipline, 
order.  Without  them,  there  can  be  no  permanent 
work  done  either  in  teaching  or  in  training.  Be- 
sides, they  have  a  high  moral  value  for  the  child, 
not  only  as  an  exercise  of  obedience,  but  also  as 
a  means  of  establishing  and  maintaining  that  order 


8  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

in  its  external  life  on  which  material  success  de- 
pends; and,  still  more,  that  order  in  its  interior — 
its  imaginations,  thoughts,  desires,  resolves, — which 
conditions  its  spiritual  well-being. 

To  enforce  order  and  discipline  is  difficult;  but 
the  Sunday  School  teacher  has  to  do  something 
more  difficult  still.  He  has,  while  enforcing  them, 
to  retain  the  affection  of  his  pupils  and  to  endear 
his  teaching  to  them,  notwithstanding  the  restraints 
attending  it.  This  demands  so  rare  a  combination 
of  qualities,  that  we  might  despair  of  finding  suit- 
able teachers,  if  one  supernatural  quality  did  not 
make  up  for  all  others,  and  if  that  quality  were 
not  attainable  by  everyone.  Thank  God,  there  is 
such  a  quality;  and  its  name  is  Love.  Let  a 
teacher  of  ordinary  ability  and  judgment  love  his 
class  with  an  individual,  impartial,  supernatural 
love,  and  he  will  be  loved  by  them  in  turn,  and, 
unless  he  be  foolishly  weak,  he  will  be  also  re- 
spected and  obeyed. 


CHAPTER  II 

AIM    AND    SCOPE   OF    SUNDAY    SCHOOL    WORK 

In  the  last  chapter  we  have  seen  (1)  that  a 
Sunday  School  aims  at  much  more  than  communi- 
cating religious  knowledge.  This,  indeed,  is  the 
foundation  of  its  work ;  but  on  this  it  aspires  to 
build  a  sincere  love  of  religion  and  the  faithful 
practice  of  it.  (2)  Religious  instruction,  to  be  re- 
membered, has  to  be  repeated  often;  and  to  be 
loved  and  practised,  it  has  also  to  be  impressed  on 
the  imagination,  the  feelings,  and  the  will.  (3) 
The  training  of  the  child  has  to  be  chiefly  ac- 
complished in  the  home,  but  it  is  materially  helped 
by  "the  Daily  Practice."  (4)  As  all  the  Sunday 
School  can  do  is  to  bring  the  child  to  Jesus,  prayer, 
which  is  a  most  efficacious  means  to  this  end,  must 
be  frequently  intermingled  with  the  -teaching,  and 
fomi  a  prominent  feature  of  all  the  exercises. 

Ideally,  the  Sunday  School  is  opened  to  chil- 
dren from  their  sixth  to  their  sixteenth  year.     To 

9 


10  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

secure  the  best  results  from  its  work  during  those 
ten  years,  it  requires  punctual  and  regular  attend- 
ance, the  sympathetic  cooperation  of  parents  and 
secular  teachers,  and  a  complete  equipment  of 
teaching-helps  (pictures,  maps,  library,  etc.)- 

At  the  end  of  the  course,  it  aims  to  turn  over 
the  child  to  the  immediate  charge  of  the  Church 
with  a  well-formed  Christian  character,  possessing 
a  solid,  comprehensive  knowledge  of  its  religion, 
a  sincere  love  for  it,  and  a  thorough  training  in 
it. 

The  Christian  character  so  formed  will  be  en- 
dowed with  the  divine  virtues — faith,  hope,  and 
charity,  and  the  moral  virtues  included  under  these 
four  heads — prudence,  justice,  fortitude  and  tem- 
perance. As  growth  in  these  virtues  is  a  condition 
of  perseverance,  and  the  child  cannot  grow  in 
them  without  supernatural  help,  the  Sunday  School 
trains  it  in  the  use  of  those  means  by  which  the 
help  is  obtained.  The  principal  means  are :  prayer, 
the  Holy  Mass,  and  the  Sacraments. 

The  teaching  and  training  work  of  the  Sunday 
School,  then,  consists  in  teaching  the  knowledge 
of  religion,   in   inspiring  a  love  of  religion,   and 


SCOPE  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK  11 

in  training  in  the  practice  of  religon.  These  will 
be  explained  in  detail  in  the  course  of  the  work; 
but  it  is  necessary  to  give  an  outline  of  them 
here,  to  show  the  scope  of  the  Sunday  School. 

1.  Knowledge  of  religion.  This  is  taught 
through  the  Catechism,  Bible  History,  Church 
History,  and  Liturgy. 

A.  The  Catechism.  It  is  the  nucleus,  "the  text" 
of  all  Sunday  School  work.  It  has  to  be  mem- 
orized; the  words  and  sense  have  to  be  explained 
and  understood;  its  main  truths  have  to  be  im- 
pressed on  the  imagination  and  brought  in  touch 
with  the  emotions,  and,  finally,  practical  applica- 
tion of  them  has  to  be  made  to  the  life  and  con- 
duct of  the  child, 

B.  Bible  History,  (a)  In  all  the  classes,  even 
the  lowest,  Bible  facts  are  used  to  illustrate  or 
prove  the  truths  taught,  (b)  In  one  of  the  upper 
classes  is  learned  the  outline-history  of  the  chosen 
people  of  God,  as  an  introduction  to  the  detailed 
history  of  our  Divine  Lord  and  His  apostles.  (c) 
The  Perseverance  class  gives  one  or  two  terms  to 
the  study  of  the  Bible  itself. 

C.  History  of  the  Church.     A  summary  is  given 


12  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

in  connection  with  the  catechism  lessons  on  the 
Church.  Toward  the  end  of  the  course,  the  sub- 
ject is  treated  more  fully. 

D.  Liturgy,  or  the  Devotional  Life  of  the 
Church.  In  this  division  is  shown  the  Church  in 
prayer — discharging  her  sublime  office  of  divine 
worship.  By  a  beautiful  arrangement  of  the  year, 
and  with  the  aid  of  dramatic,  lyrical  and  musical 
art,  she  brings  the  mysteries  of  faith  home  to  the 
imagination  and  feelings,  as  well  as  to  the  mind 
and  heart,  of  her  children.  The  order,  symbolism, 
spirit  and  teaching  of  the  Church's  public  service 
are  explained  in  this  most  important  branch  of 
Sunday  School  work. 

2.  Love  of  religion.  This,  like  every  other 
spiritual  effect  of  Sunday  School  work,  must  come 
from  the  direct  illumination  and  inspiration  of 
grace.  All  a  teacher  can  do  is  to  remove  obstacles 
and  excite  proper  dispositions. 

(a)  The  influence  of  the  Sunday  School  has 
more  to  do  with  the  love  of  religion  than  any 
formal  instruction  or  exhortation.  Sometimes, 
that  influence  creates  aversion  and  disgust,  which, 
unfortunately,  extends  beyond  the  teacher  to  the 


SCOPE  OF  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  WORK  13 

truths  and  duties  he  teaches.  A  director  cannot 
be  too  solicitous  about  removing  whatever  excites 
such  feelings. 

(b)  The  teacher's  own  love  for  religion  will  give 
"an  unction  and  warmth  to  his  words  that  will 
tell  favorably  on  the  child. 

(c)  It  is  very  helpful  also  to  have  before  our 
minds  while  teaching,  the  express  purpose  of  in- 
spiring our  class  with  the  love  of  religion.  It 
will  save  us  from  any  word  or  act  liable  to  cause 
unnecessary  irritation, 

(d)  The  Childhood  of  Jesus,  described  in  the 
simple  words  of  the  Gospel,  has  singular  power 
in  drawing  the  hearts  of  children  to  Him. 

(e)  The  history  of  the  child-saints  will  also  help 
toward  the  same  end. 

(f)  Describe  the  beauty,  nobility,  attractiveness, 
happiness  of  Christian  life.  Contrast  with  it  a 
life  of  sin,  so  miserable,  degraded,  shameful,  etc. 

(g)  Above  all,  the  frequent  and  fervent  recep- 
tion of  the  Most  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  most  effica- 
cious means  of  inspiring  children  with  the  love 
of  religion.  In  fact,  the  love  of  religion  is  in- 
separable from  the  love  of  Communion. 


14  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

3.  The  practice  of  religion.  Sunday  School 
training  in  this  is  confined  to  the  few  duties  and 
observances  mentioned  already.  All  it  can  do  is 
to  awaken  and  develop  the  conscience,  to  show 
it  in  detail  the  Christian  law  by  which  it  is  to  be 
guided,  and  to  propose  such  motives  for  right  liv- 
ing as  are  apt,  with  grace,  to  influence  and  de- 
termine the  will. 

Indirectly,  however,  the  Sunday  School  can  do 
very  much  for  the  Christian  training  of  children. 
The  director  can  win  the  earnest  cooperation  of 
parents  in  the  work;  and,  by  individual  interest, 
kindness,  friendly  recognition,  etc.,  he  can  acquire 
such  influence  with  the  children  themselves,  as 
will  be  equivalent  to  personal  supervision.  It  is, 
indeed,  most  advisable  that  both  director  and  teach- 
ers be  acquainted  with  the  home-,  street-,  and 
school-life  of  their  young  charge,  not  for  correc- 
tion or  reproof,  but  for  affectionate  counsel  and 
protection. 


CHAPTER  III 

NECESSITY   OF   THE   SUNDAY   SCHOOL 

By  the  knowledge,  love,  and  practice  of  religion, 
the  Sunday  School  aims  at  forming  the  character 
of  the  child  in  a  Christian  mold.  Repetition,  illus- 
tration, emotional  presentment,  practical  applica- 
tion, "Daily  Practice,"  home-cooperation,  prayer, 
the  Sacraments, — these  are  the  chief  means  and 
helps  by  which  the  work  is  accomplished.  But 
we  must  ever  bear  in  mind  that  its  spirit,  its 
efficacy  and  merit,  its  permanency,  are  wholly 
due  to  the  Divine  Teacher. 

This  work  of  forming  the  child  in  a  Christian 
mold,  has  not  been  always  done  in  the  Sunday 
School.  In  the  early  ,and  middle  ages  of  the 
Church,  a  Sunday  School  was  not  necessary;  for 
the  religious  education  of  children  was  sufficiently 
provided  for  by  three  agencies:  the  Mother;  the 
Home;  and  the  Church, 

1.  The  Christian  Mother.     The  Mother  felt  her- 
15 


16  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

self  consecrated  by  her  Christian  marriage  to  the 
sanctification  of  the  family.  She  had  few  interests 
and  no  attractions  outside  the  four  walls  of  her 
home.  She  gave  herself  up  heart  and  soul  to  her 
life-mission,  of  which  the  religious  training  of  her 
children  formed  the  chief  duty.  Her  knowledge 
may  have  been  limited;  but  her  sense  of  responsi- 
bility was  keen  and  urgent;  and  her  love  was 
unbounded.  That  love  brought  her  down  to  their 
level,  made  her  lisp  her  words  to  them,  and  taught 
her  to  adapt  herself  to  their  dawning  intelligence. 
They,  in  turn,  took  in  all  she  said  as  part  of  her- 
self. They  believed  what  she  believed;  hoped  as 
she  hoped;  loved  as  she  loved;  and  did  as  they 
saw  her  doing.  Never  again  after  those  impres- 
sionable years  of  childhood,  will  mother  or  other 
human  teacher  have  the  same  absolute  influence  she 
then  possesses  over  those  souls,  to  shape  them  in 
Christian  mold  and  give  their  growth  a  Heaven- 
ward bent. 

2.  The  Christian  Home.  Its  history  has  yet  to 
be  written.  Created,  and  fostered  by  the  Church, 
it  was  the  nursery  of  saints.  Mutual  dependence 
and  respect,  love,  purity,  obedience,  prayer — these 


NECESSITY  OF  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         17 

formed  its  atmosphere;  and  it  was  in  this  atmos- 
phere that  children  were  brought  up,  and  from 
which  cloisters  drew  their  saints,  knights  "with- 
out fear  or  reproach"  went  out  to  do  battle  for 
the  weak  and  wronged,  and  soldiers  poured  in 
myriads  under  the  banner  of  the  Cross  to  wrest 
the  Holy  Places  from  Islam  desecration. 

3.  The  Church.  In  the  early  and  middle  ages, 
the  Church  had  a  means  more  efficacious  than 
books  of  bringing  home  to  young  and  old  the 
mysteries  of  faith  and  their  embodiment  in  saintly 
lives.  It  consisted  in  the  symbol-lessons  of  her 
feasts,  her  ceremonies,  her  stained-glass  windows, 
her  pictures  and  carvings,  her  music  and  archi- 
tecture. To  speak  only  of  the  first  of  these:  be- 
sides the  fifty-two  Sundays  of  the  year,  there  were 
about  forty  feast-days,  on  which  the  faithful  were 
obliged  to  hear  Mass  and  abstain  from  servile  work. 
Most  of  them  were  preceded  by  vigils,  that  is,  by 
days  of  fast  and  abstinence;  and  all  were  ushered 
in  with  ringing  of  bells  from  early  dawn,  and 
surrounded  mth  all  the  splendor,  solemnity,  and 
grandeur  that  vestments,  lights,  incense,  chant  and 
organ  could  contribute.     Such  a  realistic  method 


18  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

of  teaching  the  leading  truths  and  honoring  the 
canonized  heroes  of  Christian  life  appealed  to  and 
touched  sense  and  soul  alike — aye,  and  the  sense 
and  soul  of  the  child  who  imbibed  the  lesson  they 
taught,  as  much  as  of  the  mother  who  explained 
it. 

The  modern  mother,  in  very  many  cases,  has 
too  many  social,  literary,  and  humanitarian  en- 
gagements, to  have  any  leisure  for  home  duties. 
The  modern  city  home  is  largely  but  a  ''baby- 
farm"  for  the  little  ones,  and  a  boarding-house 
for  the  other  members  of  the  family.  And  the 
modem  Church? — well,  thank  God,  she  is  ever  the 
same;  but,  like  her  Divine  Founder  and  Teacher, 
she  adapts  herself  to  the  age  in  which  she  lives. 
In  the  last  century,  she  warned  the  Christian  world 
against  the  disruption  of  the  home — the  dissolu- 
tion of  domestic  ties — with  which  it  is  threatened. 
She  would  re-create  the  Christian  family  after 
the  ideal  and  model  of  the  Family  of  Nazareth, 
thereby  making  it  as  efficient  as  it  once  was  for  the 
religious  education  of  the  child.  Society,  however, 
turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  warning.  Mothers  more 
and  more  consider  children  as  a  burden  and  a 


NECESSITY  OF  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL  19 

drag,  and  the  home  is  becoming  more  and  more 
de-Christianized. 

But  the  Church  cannot  leave  the  child  in 
spiritual  darkness.  The  present  Sovereign  Pontiff 
has  imposed  on  the  conscience  of  every  bishop 
throughout  the  world  the  solemn  obligation  of 
having  the  Catechism  taught  for  an  hour  on  Sun- 
days and  holy  days  in  all  the  churches  of  his 
diocese. 

Hence,  it  is  no  longer  optional  with  pastors  to 
have  a  Sunday  School  or  not.  They  are  bound 
under  grave  obligation  to  have  one,  unless  they 
have  its  equivalent  in  a  parochial  school.  Neither 
is  it  any  more  optional  with  parents  to  send  or 
not  to  send  their  children  to  the  Sunday  School, 
if,  through  the  week,  they  send  them  to  the  public 
school.  The  young  must  be  taught  their  religion ; 
and  parents,  pastors  and  bishops  are  equally  bound 
under  pain  of  mortal  sin  to  see  that  they  are 
taught  it — and  taught  it  efficiently. 

The  Catholic  Sunday  School  is  particularly 
necessary  in  this  country.  First  of  all,  it  is  neces- 
sary, because  the  sad  experience  of  the  past  shows 
what  a  leakage  from  the  Church  has  been  caused 


20  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

by  ignorance  of  religion.  The  leakage  will  be 
stopped  only  by  the  knowledge,  love  and  practice 
of  Christian  truth;  and  this,  if  not  acquired  in 
youth,  will  in  all  likelihood  never  be  acquired  in 
after  life. 

The  Sunday  School  is  also  necessary  to  safe- 
guard the  Catholic  laity  against  the  influences  of 
non-Catholic  literature  and  non-Catholic  society. 
If  we  run  the  risk — as,  no  doubt,  we  sometimes 
have  to  do — of  contact  with  those  influences,  we 
are  bound,  at  least,  to  provide  ourselves  with  an 
antidote  against  harm  from  them.  The  surest  an- 
tidote is  that  intelligent  loyalty  to  our  Church's 
teaching  which  only  comprehensive  knowledge  of 
our  religion  can  inspire. 

The  distinctive  spirit  of  this  country  may  be 
one  or  other  of  the  three  master-passions  mentioned 
by  St.  John,  or  it  may  be  all  three  working  sep- 
arately or  in  fusion;  but  whatever  else  it  be,  it 
certainly  is  not  Christian.  And  yet  it  has  a  fear- 
ful momentum,  which  only  an  iron  grasp  of 
Christian  principles  can  withstand.  What  will  the 
grasp  be,  if  the  principles  were  memorized  with- 
out intelligence  only  a  few  weelis  before  Confirma- 


NECESSITY  OF  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL         21 

tion,  and  forgotten  before  the  child-soldier  of  the 
Cross  had  lost  the  sensation  of  the  bishop's  fingers 
on  his  cheek? 

Finally,  a  Sunday  School  is  necessary  to  enable 
the  Catholic  of  the  next  generation  to  give  to 
honest  inquirers  an  intelligent  and  satisfactory  ac- 
count of  the  doctrines  and  practices  of  the 
Church.  It  is  a  reproach  to  our  laity  that  it  can 
do  so  little  for  non-Catholics  in  the  line  of  doc- 
trinal explanation  and  instruction.  *'Lay  Apostle- 
ship  "  is  an  idea  as  old  as  Christianity ;  but  it  has 
lain  dormant  for  centuries,  and  is  only  now  awak- 
ening in  the  consciousness  of  the  Catholic  mind. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  a  Catholic  who  has  led  a 
clean,  upright,  Christian  life  for  years  in  the 
midst  of  non-Catholics,  does  much  to  prepossess 
them  in  favor  of  the  Church ;  but  how  much  more 
might  he  do,  were  he  able  to  explain  with  sim- 
plicity and  clearness  the  grounds  of  his  faith  and 
the  reasonableness  of  distinctive  Catholic  prac- 
tices ? 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE    DIRECTOR 

To  sum  up  what  I  have  hitherto  advocated : 

1.  The  Sunday  School  takes  charge  of  the  child 
from  its  sixth  to  its  sixteenth  year.  2.  It  aims  in 
that  time  to  form  its  character  in  Christian  mold 
by  the  knowledge,  love  and  practice  of  religion. 
3.  The  knowledge  of  religion  embraces  the  Cate- 
chism, Bible  History,  the  History  of  the  Church, 
and  Liturgy.  4.  The  necessity  of  a  Sunday  School 
arises  partly  from  the  changed  conditions  of  so- 
ciety, and  partly  from  recent  ecclesiastical  legisla- 
tion. 5.  For  many  reasons  a  Sunday  School  is 
particularly  necessary  in  this  country. 

As  an  organization,  a  Sunday  School  is  com- 
posed of  three  elements:  the  director;  the  teach- 
ers; and  the  children. 

The  director  has  to  gather  in  all  the  children  of 
the  parish,  and  so  attach  them  to  the  Sunday 
School,  that  they  will  come  without  pressure.  He 
22 


THE  DIRECTOR  23 

has  to  select,  organize,  and  train  teachers.  He 
has  to  grade  the  school  and  the  work,  and  to  de- 
termine what  each  teacher  has  to  do.  He  has  to 
draw  up  a  well-arranged  list  of  subjects  for 
"Daily  Practice."  He  has  to  supply  the  school 
with  all  necessary  helps — pictures,  maps,  books, 
etc.  He  has  to  be  present  from  the  beginning  to 
the  end  of  the  session,  all  eyes  and  ears,  but  never 
interfering  in  the  work,  even  to  correct  mistakes. 
He  has  to  give  a  short  address  on  the  * '  Daily  Prac- 
tice" toward  the  end.  He  has  to  see  that  the 
children  attend  Mass  and  Sacraments  regularly. 
He  has  to  keep  up  a  constant  communication  with 
the  parents  regarding  their  children.  Finally,  he 
has  to  hold  a  conference  with  his  teachers  at  least 
once  a  week,  to  encourage  them,  help  them  in 
their  preparation,  and  consult  with  them  about 
the  welfare  of  the  school. 

Only  a  few  of  these  duties  need  special  com- 
ment. 

1.  To  hring  children  to  Sunday  School.  In  re- 
peated sermons  and  instructions,  the  director  must 
develop  in  parents  a  keen,  terrifying  sense  of 
responsibility  for  the  souls  of  their  children.     He 


24  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

must  tell  them  over  and  over  that  it  is  not  suf- 
ficient to  send  them,  but  that  they  should  make 
sure  of  their  attendance  at  Sunday  School.  He 
must,  besides,  speak  with  parents  individually  in 
their  homes  on  this  responsibility,  and  insist  on 
their  making  wilful  neglect  of  it  a  matter  of  Con- 
fession. If  public  and  private  admonition  fail, 
he  must  refuse  Sacraments  to  all  those  who  persist 
in  disregarding  his  words.  (Of  course,  I  speak 
here  only  of  parishes  in  which  there  is  no  parochial 
school. ) 

The  personal  influence  of  the  pastor  or  assistant 
tells,  even  more  than  preaching,  on  the  spiritual 
life  of  his  people;  but  it  tells  with  special  force 
on  the  young.  Let  a  child  hear  its  parents  speak- 
ing of  him  with  affection  and  admiration;  let  it 
see  him  respected  by  everybody;  let  it  find  him 
strong,  manly,  dignified,  courteous  (even  to  chil- 
dren), kind,  considerate,  even-tempered,  and,  at 
the  same  time,  grave,  masterful,  decisive — let  a 
child  see  all  these  characteristics  in  a  director,  and 
it  will  be  proud  of  him;  and  it  will  love  him 
as  only  the  young  can  love;  and  it  will  be  ready 
to  go  through  fire  and  water  for  him ;  and, — whs/" 


THE  DIRECTOR  25 

is  more  to  the  point — it  certainly  will  not  refuse 
his  invitation  to  attend  Sunday  School. 

The  chief  difficulty  in  regard  to  the  attendance 
of  children  is  not  to  bring  them  one  or  two  Sun- 
days, but  to  keep  them  coming  regularly  and  cheer- 
fully. Some  go  to  Sunday  School  as  reluctantly 
as  they  go  to  a  dentist  to  have  a  tooth  drawn. 
These  may  memorize  and  recite  lessons  in  cate- 
chism, and  repeat  prayers  by  rote;  but  they  do 
not  become  religious-minded ;  they  have  no  love  for 
what  they  learn ;  their  conscience  is  not  awakened, 
much  less  enlightened  and  formed;  there  is  no 
moral  improvement  in  their  home  relations;  in  a 
word,  their  real  lives  remain  untouched  by  the 
means  devised  to  penetrate  and  reform  them. 

Here  is  the  most  serious  difficulty  of  the  di- 
rector's office.  He  must  not  be  satisfied  with  ma- 
terial attendance,  even  though  he  has  gathered  in 
every  child  in  the  parish.  He  must  overcome 
antipathy ;  he  must  overcome  indifference ;  he  must 
make  the  school  attractive;  nay  more,  he  must 
aim  at  making  it  more  attractive  than  the  ball- 
game,  the  interesting  story,  the  rollicking  com- 
panion, etc.,  etc.     Spontaneous  attendance,  hearty 


26  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

goodwill,  earnest  eo-operation,  are  absolutely  indis- 
pensible  in  children,  that  the  Sunday  School  con- 
fer on  them  some  permanent  spiritual  good.  But 
how  are  these  dispositions  to  be  created  and  de- 
veloped? Prayer  and  humble  reliance  on  the  Di- 
vine Teacher  will  do  much.  Much  also  will  be 
done  by  the  influence  of  the  director  of  which  I 
have  already  spoken.  The  loving  kindness  of  the 
teacher  is  an  essential  condition  and  will  help  very 
much.  Then  ever\i:hing  possible  must  be  done 
to  please  the  eye  and  ear  of  the  child;  especially, 
there  should  be  an  abundant  variety  of  colored  pic- 
tures and  of  hj-mns  set  to  simple,  catchy  airs.  V^e 
know  that  the  young  are  passionately  fond  of 
stories  that  project  new,  strange,  even  weird  images 
on  the  imagination,  that  excite  the  feelings,  that 
contain  elements  of  mystery,  complicated  situa- 
tions, descriptions  of  strength,  bravery,  heroism. 
Give  them  all  they  want,  from  the  Bible,  Church 
history,  the  lives  of  the  saints  and  of  great  Chris- 
tian heroes,  books  of  travel,  etc. 

A  director  whose  heart  is  in  his  work  will  find 
many  other  expedients  for  attaching  his  children 
to  the  Sunday  School.     He  will  keep  in  mind  that 


THE  DIRECTOR  27 

they  do  not  take  kindly  to  religious  knowledge, 
prayers,  discipline*  memorizing,  and  brain-contact 
with  hard  words.  Nor  are  regular  attendance,  or- 
derly conduct,  and  correct  answering  sure  indi- 
cations of  the  surrender  of  the  will  to  grace;  for 
children  have  wonderful  power  of  hiding  their 
true  selves  under  outward  compliance  with  pres- 
sure. Knowing  all  these  things,  the  director  will 
aim,  above  all  other  objects,  at  the  conquest  of 
the  heart  for  Jesus ;  and  this  he  will  seek  to  achieve 
through  the  senses,  the  imagination  and  the  feel- 
ings. 

Personal  magnetism  is  a  desirable  quality  in  a 
director.  It  attracts  and  attaches  teachers  and 
children  alike  to  the  Sunday  School.  It  is  a  valu- 
able natural  gift,  for  it  saves  the  possessor  of  it 
from  much  labor  and  worry.  It  enables  him  with 
little  expenditure  of  energy  to  produce  brilliant 
results.  His  teachers  resemble  officers  on  parade, 
and  the  children  march,  countermarch,  sit,  stand, 
sing  and  recite  automatically.  All  this  is  excel- 
lent, as  far  as  it  goes;  but  the  pity  is,  it  very  fre- 
quently does  not  go  any  farther.  Those  military 
Sunday  Schools  teach  all  about  religion,  but  they 


28  THE  CATPIOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

do  not  always  teach  religion.  They  are  wholly 
taken  up  with  external  show — accidentals,  helps, 
means,  organization — and  they  push  the  end  into 
the  background.  Their  work  would  be  perfect,  if 
they  paid  as  much  attention  to  the  substance  as 
they  pay  to  the  form. 

The  lack  of  personal  magnetism  is  abundantly 
made  up  by  single-minded,  self-sacrificing  zeal. 
Once  it  is  known  that  the  director  is  wrapped  up 
in  his  school,  that  he  is  sparing  no  effort  or  ex- 
pense to  make  it  as  efficient  as  possible,  that  he 
has  no  other  motive  than  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
the  children,  that  he  needs  help  and  co-operation 
— once  all  this  becomes  known,  the  best  elements  in 
his  parish  will  sympathize  with  him,  and  gather 
round  him,  and  offer  their  services  and  material 
contributions,  thereby  enabling  him  to  make  his 
Sunday  School  as  nearly  as  may  be  a  realization 
of  his  dreams. 

This  zeal  will  be  the  outcome  and  expression  not 
only  of  his  belief  in  the  necessity  and  vital  im- 
portance of  the  work;  but,  still  more,  of  the  great 
love  he  bears  to  his  little  ones.  His  soul  is  on 
fire  with  it.     It  haunts  him  through  the  day.     It 


THE  DIKECTOR  29 

distracts  him  at  his  office.  He  dreams  of  it  in  his 
sleep.  It  is  commensurate  with  the  love  he  bears 
for  his  Divine  Master;  for  it  is  primarily  super- 
natural, looking  to  the  child's  soul,  redeemed  by 
the  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  adopted  to  the  sonship 
of  God,  destined  for  a  participation  in  the  Divine 
Nature.  He  looks  to  the  child's  soul,  still  clothed 
in  its  baptismal  robe  of  grace;  and  he  thinks  of 
the  long  and  dangerous  journey  before  it ;  and  with 
all  the  tender  solicitude  of  a  mother,  he  provides 
it  with  every  help  and  safeguard;  and  he  never 
stands  at  the  altar  without  pleading  for  it  with 
the  Sacred  Heart. 

The  director's  great  love  for  his  children  will 
make  him*  zealous.  It  will  also  make  him  patient. 
There  will  be  numerous  disappointments.  Some 
parents  will  not  send  their  children  to  the  Sun- 
day School;  some  children  will  be  sent,  but  they 
will  not  come;  others  will  never  learn  their  les- 
son; teachers  will  prefer  their  own  method  of  in- 
struction ;  they  will  be  harsh  with  their  pupils, 
or  too  lenient;  they  will  be  dissatisfied  with  their 
classes,  think  themselves  slighted,  give  way  to 
jealousy,  dissension,  backbiting,  etc.     Even  a  gen- 


30  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

eral  strike  is  possible,  notwithstanding  that  "The 
Master"  whose  work  they  abandon  is  Jesus  Christ 
Himself. 

Surely,  here  is  ample  provocation  to  discourage- 
ment; yet  the  director  of  apostolic  spirit  will  be 
self-possessed,  unruffled,  sweet-tempered  through  it 
all.  He  will  utter  no  reproach,  no  expression  of 
wounded  feeling.  If  the  Lord  of  the  vineyard 
does  not  supply  laborers,  he  will  do  the  work  him- 
self, sustained  and  cheered  by  the  thought,  that 
God  can  as  easily  give  blessing  and  increase  to 
his  single-handed  effort,  as  if  he  had  St.  Paul 
or  St.  Francis  Xavier  for  his  assistant. 

But  a  director's  patience  will  be  saved  much 
strain,  if  he  exercise  tact  in  his  dealings  with 
parents,  teachers  and  children.  For  example,  he 
may,  without  intention,  appear  to  act  the  autocrat, 
or  to  wound  the  feelings  of  others,  or  to  demand 
sacrifices  that  are  unreasonable ;  and  his  school  may 
be  seriously  injured  by  such  thoughtlessness, 
whereas  a  little  reflection  on  the  possible  conse- 
quences of  his  bearing  toward  others  would  have 
led  him  to  modify  it,  so  as  to  gain  friends  where 
he  has  made  enemies. 


THE  DIRECTOR  31 

Tact  is  nothing  more  than  sound  judgment  and 
common  sense  determining  our  actions  in  view  of 
their  consequences.  In  other  words,  it  is  the  car- 
dinal virtue  of  prudence,  which  is  rightly  pre- 
sumed to  regulate  the  life  and  conduct  of  every 
priest.  Why,  then,  mention  it  here?  Solely  be- 
cause a  director 's  single-minded,  self-sacrificing  zeal 
for  his  Sunday  School  is  liable  to  deceive  him  into 
believing  that  others  take  a  similar  enthusiastic 
interest  in  the  work.  Hence,  he  is  apt  to  be  over- 
exacting  of  services,  to  expect  heat  from  icicles — 
to  demand  too  much  from  those  who  work  with 
him.  Tact  will  save  him  from  these  serious  mis- 
takes. 


CHAPTER  V 

TEACHERS:   HOW  TO  PROCURE   THEM 

The  director  is  the  official  teacher  of  the  Sun- 
day School.  His  assistants  are  his  agents,  in 
whom  he,  as  it  were,  multiplies  himself  for  the 
convenience  of  those  taught.  He  alone  determines 
the  matter,  method,  extent  of  the  teaching;  he 
alone  is  responsible  for  its  adequacy  and  correct- 
ness; appointments,  changes,  removals  exclusively 
belong  to  him.  This  absolute  control  of  the  di- 
rector over  the  work  done  in  his  Sunday  School 
extends  to  religious  as  well  as  secular  teachers. 
It  is  not  only  justified,  but  rendered  gravely  ob- 
ligatory, by  the  necessity  of  safeguarding  the  unity 
and  purity  of  Catholic  faith.  No  intelligent 
teacher,  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  religion,  will 
take  umbrage  at  it,  or  be  made  less  zealous  by  its 
restrictions. 

For  a  properly  equipped  Sunday  School,  a  mini- 
mum of  ten  teachers  is  required — five  for  the  boys' 

32 


TEACHERS:  HOW  TO  PROCURE  THEM    33 

and  five  for  the  girls'  classes.  Where  are  so 
many  volunteers  to  be  found?  In  the  parish,  of 
course ;  as  it  is  presumed  that  there  is  no  religious 
community  and  no  parochial  school.  But  pastors 
know  what  general  apathy  prevails  among  our 
people  regarding  active  participation  in  the  re- 
ligious instruction  of  children;  and  they  know 
how  diffident  even  educated  Catholics  are  to  un- 
dertake this  work  in  a  Sunday  School.  Is  it  pos- 
sible to  overcome  the  apathy  and  to  change  the 
diffidence  into  earnest  cooperation  Yes;  I  be- 
lieve it  quite  possible,  if  the  director  be  satisfied 
with  a  small  beginning,  and  be  not  over-eager  for 
rapid  growth,  and  be  not  discouraged  or  disap- 
pointed at  partial  failures,  and  leave  spiritual 
results  entirely  to  God.  i 

Parochial  conditions  and  circumstances  are  so 
various,  that  no  suggestions  of  general  applica- 
tion can  be  given  a  director  to  assist  him  in  this 
difficult  work.  His  own  great  love  for  his  chil- 
dren, with  patient  zeal  and  prudence,  will  be  his 
best  guide.  Still  he  may  be  helped  by  one  or  more 
of  the  following  hints. 

1.  Start  with  any  Sunday  School  already  ex- 


34  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

isting  in  the  parish,  no  matter  how  inefficient. 
Make  it  your  foundation.  Develop,  reform,  build, 
slowly  and  warily;  but  pull  nothing  down.  Re- 
member, zeal  is  constructive,  not  destructive. 

2.  Speak  from  the  pulpit  of  the  charity,  results, 
blessings,  rewards  of  instructing  the  ignorant  in 
the  truths  of  faith.  Enlarge  on  the  immense  spir- 
itual advantages  that  will  accrue  to  the  teachers 
themselves,  in  their  clearer,  fuller,  and  more  in- 
spiring conception  of  those  truths,  from  communi- 
cating them  to  others. 

3.  Establish  a  Christian  Doctrine  Society ;  or  add 
its  rules  to  those  of  any  sodalities  or  societies  al- 
ready existing  in  the  parish.  You  must  not  ask 
all  to  become  teachers.  It  will  be  enough  to  get 
them  to  promise  active  help.  The  weekly  meet- 
ings will  give  an  opportunity  for  preparing  the 
lessons  of  the  next  Sunday  School. 

4.  Enlist  the  interest  and  goodwill  of  the  lead- 
ing families  of  the  parish  in  your  Sunday  School. 
Try  all  you  can  to  win  the  young  people  in  those 
families  for  teachers.  Most  of  them  have  studied 
in  Catholic  colleges  and  academies,  and  have  not 
only  learned  their  religion  comprehensively,  but 


TEACHEKS:  HOW  TO  PROCURE  THEM    35 

have  been  trained  in  the  sincere  love  and  faith- 
ful, intelligent  practice  of  all  its  duties.  By  the 
zealous,  painstaking  efforts  of  their  teachers,  they 
realize  to  their  very  finger-tips  the  paramount  ob- 
ligations of  charity,  especially  toward  the  soul  of 
their  brother-man.  Only  a  few  words,  then,  will 
be  needed  to  make  those  young  people  your  right- 
hand  cooperators. 

5.  In  the  last  place,  I  would  suggest  something 
which  I  believe  to  be  a  most  valuable  help;  yet  I 
fear  it  will  be  considered  an  innovation,  although 
it  is  such  only  in  form.  Have  a  week's  mission  in 
your  parish,  with  the  primary  purpose  of  arousing 
enthusiasm  in  favor  of  your  Sunday  School.  In- 
stead of  the  stereotyped  subjects  treated  in  those 
revivals,  let  there  be  sermons  on  the  duties  of 
parents  toward  their  children,  the  characteristics 
of  the  ideal  Christian  home,  the  Catholic  layman's 
need  of  fuller  knowledge,  deeper  love,  and  more 
faithful  practice  of  his  religion.  His  mission,  op- 
portunities, possibilities  should  be  expounded,  il- 
lustrated, urged  and  enforced  with  all  possible 
earnestness  and  zeal.  Then  the  means  of  form- 
ing an  ideal  Christian  manhood  and  womanhood 


36  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

should  be  developed — the  Sunday  School,  home 
training,  religious  societies.  Catholic  literature,  etc. 
Lastly,  the  mission  should  end  with  some  impas- 
sioned appeals  to  the  young  people  of  the  parish, 
rousing  them  to  enthusiastic  interest  and  coopera- 
tion in  Sunday  School  work. 

I  must  add,  however,  that  the  results  of  the 
mission  will  not  be  permanent,  unless  a  well-chosen 
collection  of  Catholic  books  be  introduced  into 
every  home  in  the  parish.  But  of  this  I  will  speak 
hereafter  in  connection  with  the  home  training 
of  children. 

"When  a  director  has  overcome  the  reluctance  of 
young  people  to  teach  in  the  Sunday  School,  he  will 
have  next  to  dissipate  their  distrust  in  their  in- 
tellectual fitness.  For  this  purpose,  he  may  assure 
them  that  what  he  looks  for  primarily  in  them  is 
the  moral  qualities  which  will  be  treated  of  in 
the  next  chapter.  As  to  fitness,  it  will  grow  with 
exercise.  In  the  beginning,  they  will  be  asked  to 
do  little  more  than  hear  the  lesson  and  explain 
a  few  hard  words.  Afterwards,  they  will  add  a 
simple  paraphrase,  then  give  an  example  or  il- 
lustration to  fix  the  truth  in  the  imagination,  and 


TEACHERS:  HOW  TO  PROCURE  THEM    37 

SO  proceed  to  touch  the  feelings  and  influence  the 
will.  But  all  this  is  to  be  done  by  slow  degrees — 
becoming  masters,  by  months  of  practice,  in  each 
form,  before  ascending  to  a  higher.  This  gradation 
will  be  an  inducement  to  them  to  begin;  after 
which,  the  trouble  will  be  to  hold  them  back  and 
check  their  tendency  to  sermonize. 

It  is  much  more  difficult  to  procure  male  than 
female  teachers  for  a  Sunday  School.  Young  men 
are,  I  believe,  as  religious-minded  as  young  women ; 
and  if  it  were  not  for  the  influence  of  the  set  to 
which  they  belong,  they  would  cheerfully  cooperate 
with  their  pastor  in  this  or  any  other  work  of 
his.  And  right  hearty  workers  they  are — God  bless 
them.  But  they  are  too  much  afraid  of  the  rail- 
lery of  their  companions.  They  would  willingly 
sacrifice  two  or  three  hours  weekly  in  church  work, 
provided  Brown,  Jones  and  Robinson  could  be 
hoodwinked,  so  as  not  to  see  it  or  know  of  it. 
Well;  the  best  thing  for  a  director  to  do,  is  to 
bring  Brown,  Jones  and  Robinson  into  the  workj 
for,  practically,  it  must  be  all  or  none. 

And  such  young  men,  once  secured  for  teaching, 
will  exercise  wonderful  influence  over  boys,  who 


38  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

are  invariably  captivated  by  simple,  straightfor- 
ward manliness  in  those  who  educate  them.  The 
boys'  Perseverance  class,  in  particular,  should,  if 
at  all  possible,  have  male  teachers. 

This  class  should  be  the  best  recruiting-ground 
for  Sunday  School  teachers.  Surely  the  training 
will  be  somewhat  to  blame,  if  the  graduates  from 
it  are  not  competent  and  willing  to  communicate  to 
others  the  instructions  they  have  received.  With- 
out relying  very  confidently  on  this  source  of  sup- 
ply, a  wise  director  will  from  time  to  time  place 
before  the  class  the  motives  for  instructing  ''many 
to  justice." 

In  his  efforts  to  persuade  young  people  to  join 
his  Sunday  School,  a  director  will  find  it  extremely 
useful  to  have  on  hand  several  motives,  by  the 
discreet  use  of  which  he  may  hope  to  overcome  the 
apathy  or  disinclination  of  the  individual  he  is 
addressing.  A  few  of  those  motives  I  give  here; 
but  I  leave  it  to  the  director  hinuself  to  supply 
the  local  coloring  and  the  earnest  enforcement, 
necessary  to  make  them  effective. 

1.  Teaching  in  a  Sunday  School  is  a  spiritual 
work  of  mercy,  most  dear  to  the  Sacred  Heart  of 


TEACHERS:  HOW  TO  PROCURE  THEM    39 

our  Divine  Saviour.  "They  brought  to  Him 
young  children,  that  He  might  touch  them.  And 
the  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them. 
Whom  when  Jesus  saw,  He  was  much  displeased, 
and  saith  to  them:  Suffer  the  little  children  to 
come  unto  Me,  and  forbid  them  not;  for  of  such 
is  the  kingdom  of  God."     (Mark  x,  13,  14.) 

2.  A  Sunday  School  teacher  promotes  very  ef- 
fectually the  welfare  of  the  Church.  For  one  of 
the  Church's  worst  enemies  is  the  ignorant,  nomi- 
nal Catholic;  as  one  of  her  greatest  helps  is  an 
educated,  religious-minded  laity.  She  fears  little 
from  without,  if  within  she  find  loyalty,  knowledge, 
zeal,  and  docility. 

3.  Modern  society  is,  at  the  root,  a  creation  of 
the  Catholic  Church;  and  it  can  be  saved  from 
disruption  only  by  intelligent,  faithful  adherence 
to  Catholic  principles  and  Catholic  teaching. 
This  adherence  must  begin  in  earliest  childhood 
and  become  closer  and  more  deeply  rooted  year 
by  year.  It  is  the  sublime  privilege  of  the  Catholic 
mother  and,  with  her,  of  the  Sunday  School  teacher 
to  instil  into  the  yoimg  soul  the  germs  of  those 
divine  truths  which  are  at  the  same  time  the  basis 


40  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

and  bond  of  human  society.  Who,  then,  is  a 
greater  benefactor  of  our  race  than  the  Catholic 
parent  and  the  Catholic  teacher? 

4.  The  world  applauds  and  rewards  him  who 
saves  a  human  life.  And  deservedly ;  for  our  com- 
mon kinship  makes  human  life  precious  to  us. 
But,  to*  the  eyes  of  faith,  how  little  is  the  saving 
of  the  body  from  physical  death,  compared  to  the 
saving  of  the  soul  from  the  eternal  death  of  sin? 
Yet  this  higher  salvation  is  what  the  Catholic 
teacher  helps  to  secure  for  the  child  committed  to 
him. 

5.  Work  faithfully  done  rewards  itself  in  the 
glow  of  pleasure,  the  satisfaction,  the  self-approba- 
tion and  happiness  which  the  thought  of  it  pro- 
duces. And  the  reward  is  in  proportion  to  the 
nobility,  the  usefulness,  and  the  difficulty  of  the 
work.  No  one  realizes  this  better  than  the  teacher, 
when,  returned  from  Sunday  School,  he  takes  his 
well-earned  rest  after  his  hour's  well-prepared, 
well-executed  work  with  his  class. 

6.  A  teacher's  own  intellectual  and  spiritual  na- 
ture  is  wonderfully  enriched  and  perfected  by  his 


TEACHERS:  HOW  TO  PROCUEE  THEM    41 

efforts  to  stamp  on  the  souls  of  others  an  intellect- 
ual and  spiritual  impression  of  divine  truth. 

7,  The  supernatural  reward  in  store  for  the 
faithful,  persevering  teacher  in  the  Sunday  School 
is  inconceivably  great.  It  is  a  share  in  the  reward 
of  the  apostle  and  the  missionary  who  have  bap- 
tized the  world  in  the  Blood  of  the  Lamb.  "They 
that  are  learned  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of 
the  firmament:  and  they  that  instruct  many  to 
justice,  as  stars  for  all  eternity."     (Daniel  xii,  3.) 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE  TEACHERS:   THEIR   QUALIFICATIONS 

There  is  a  secondary  but  most  important  ob- 
ject attained  by  securing  as  many  teachers  as 
possible  for  the  Sunday  School.  It  is,  the  spiritual 
good  of  the  teachers  themselves.  They  learn  by 
teaching.  They  must  have  a  comprehensive 
knowledge  of  religion,  to  be  able  to  impart  it  to 
others.  They  must  love  divine  truth,  when  they 
inspire  love  for  it.  They  must  be  trained,  to  train. 
A  director  will  never  lose  sight  of  this  indirect  re- 
sult of  the  Sunday  School  on  his  assistants.  He 
will  not  speak  of  it,  as  it  is  best  to  let  it  develop 
of  itself;  but  all  his  instructions  at  the  weekly 
meetings  will  be  influenced  and  colored  by  it. 

In  view  of  this  secondary  object,  he  will  not 

insist  at  the  start  on  the  actual  possession  of  the 

following  qualifications.     All   he   will   ask   is   the 

disposition  and  earnest  desire  to  acquire  them — 

42 


THE  TEACHERS:  THEIR  QUALIFICATIONS     43 

and  this,  not  spasmodically,  but  slowly  and  pa- 
tiently, as  one  learns  an  art  or  a  trade. 

I  do  not  speak  here  of  all  the  desirable  qualifica- 
tions of  a  Sunday  School  teacher,  as  they  include 
all  the  habits  and  qualities  of  one  ideally  perfect. 
It  is  more  practical  to  confine  our  attention  to 
the  minimum  of  necessary  moral  and  intellectual 
equipment ;  and  this  I  place  in :  good  character ; 
goodwill ;  docility ;  even  temper ;  ability  to  keep 
order ;  practical  knowledge  of  religion ;  good  ele- 
mentary education;  and  love  of  children.  I  say 
nothing  about  good  sense,  gravity,  propriety  of 
dress,  refined  habits,  and  other  obvious  require- 
ments. 

1.  Good  character.  We  cannot  expect  saints  for 
teachers;  neither  are  we  to  confine  ourselves  to 
those  young  people  who  have  acquired  a  local  char- 
acter for  piety.  ]\Ioreover,  it  would  be  uncharit- 
able and  cruel  to  exclude  certain  individuals  who 
are  ''talked  about,"  without  any  definite,  proven 
charges  against  them.  These  we  must  stand  by, 
as  long  as  they  are  not  otherwise  unworthy  or 
incompetent — and  this,  at  the  risk  of  losing  some 
immaculate   candidates  who  may  refuse  to  work 


44  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

with  them.  The  line,  of  course,  has  to  be  drawn 
somewhere;  and  I  would  draw  it  solely  at  public 
scandal,  which  is,  of  course,  to  be  excluded.  This 
being  very  rare,  thank  God,  the  requirement  of 
good  example  need  not  give  us  any  trouble.  Let 
us  receive  the  average  young  man  or  woman  who 
comes  to  us,  close  our  eyes  to  their  failings,  and 
make  the  best  of  them.  At  the  same  time,  for 
their  future  guidance,  we  must  point  out  to  their 
good  sense  the  necessity  of  standing  well  with 
their  pupils — of  winning  their  respect  and  esteem 
along  with  their  love. 

2.  Goodwill.  Of  all  the  qualifications  of  a 
teacher,  this  I  consider  the  most  necessary.  If  it 
does  not  include  the  others,  it  includes  the  desire 
and  resolve  to  acquire  them,  and,  therefore,  the 
desire  and  resolve  of  removing  the  obstacles  and 
using  the  means  to  their  acquisition.  Hence,  gen- 
erally speaking,  goodwill  is  the  test  of  an  efficient 
teacher. 

But  the  goodwill  must  not  be  a  mere  sentiment 
that  dies  out  at  the  sight  of  solid,  steady  work. 
It  must  be  accompanied  with  grit  and  courage  and 
patience.     It  must  not  be  appalled  by  failure  or 


THE  TEACHERS:   THEIR  QUALIFICATIONS     45 

disappointment  or  necessary  correction.  It  must 
rise  above  jealousy  and  envy,  be  satisfied  with  the 
lowest  place,  and  feel  it  a  privilege  and  an  honor 
to  be  connected  in  any  way  with  Sunday  School 
work. 

In  goodwill,  the  motive  is  the  most  important 
element.  This  should  not  be  grounded  on  transi- 
tory considerations,  such  as  personal  regard  for  the 
pastor,  the  presence  of  another  teacher,  affection 
for  one  or  other  of  the  pupils,  etc.  Upright 
natural  motives,  indeed,  may  strengthen  goodwill; 
and  there  is  no  obligation  of  excluding  them,  pro- 
vided they  be  kept  secondary  to  one  that  is  higher 
and  more  permanent.  Needless  to  say,  this  should 
be  supernatural. 

3.  Docility.  Every  teacher  must  recognize  that 
it  is  the  exclusive  office  of  the  director  to  determine 
the  matter  to  be  taught  in  each  class  and  the 
method  in  which  it  is  to  be  taught. 

(a)  The  matter  of  a  lesson  is  not  to  be  con- 
sidered fully  taught,  unless  it  be  impressed  on 
the  intellect,  memory,  imagination,  feelings,  and 
will.  However,  as  I  have  mentioned  already,  the 
teacher  is  to  take  these  grades  successively,  and 


46  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

"he  is  to  be  satisfied  with  doing  the  fundamental 
work  (explanation  and  memorizing),  until  the  di- 
rector judges  him  capable  of  ascending  higher. 
Here  arises  the  necessity  of  docility;  for  some  are 
apt  to  cling  tenaciously  to  the  traditional  mem- 
orizing of  the  lesson  and  not  go  beyond  it,  while 
others  are  liable  to  run  into  the  opposite  extreme, 
and  seek  to  make  their  work  wholly  illustrative  or 
emotional.  Besides,  docility  is  required  to  take 
correction  in  a  kindly  spirit.  Every  lesson  must 
add  something  to  the  child's  love  of  religion  and 
must  facilitate  the  practice  of  it.  The  purpose 
of  doing  this  must  be  a  "working  idea"  in  the 
teacher's  mind;  and  it  must  manifest  itself  in  all 
his  relations  with  his  class.  When  he  forgets  him- 
self and  deals  harshly  with  them,  he  must  receive 
^vith  docility  the  director's  kindly- worded  repri- 
mand, and  not  fly  into  a  passion  or  seek  to  justify 
his  conduct. 

(b)  Method  of  teaching.  This  is  to  be  pri- 
marily synthetic.  God  has  spoken  to  the  world, 
and  we  accept  His  word  without  questioning.  The 
truths  revealed  in  it  are  to  us  as  first  principles 
that  neither  need  nor  are  capable  of  proof.     Believ- 


THE  TEACHERS:   THEIR  QUALIFICATIONS      47 

ing  them  by  the  help  of  Divine  grace,  we  make 
them  the  antecedent  of  those  practical  conclusions 
on  which  Christian  life  is  based.  "Blessed  are 
they  that  have  not  seen,  and  have  believed." 
These  words  of  Jesus  Christ  are  the  justification 
of  the  traditional  synthetic  method  by  which  the 
Church  fulfills  her  office  of  catechetical  instruc- 
tion and  training.  She  does  not  undertake  to 
explain  the  mysteries  of  revelation  as  natural 
truths  are  explained  in  the  class-room :  she  tells 
the  child  emphatically  that  they  cannot  be  ex- 
plained to  the  satisfaction  of  reason;  because  they 
belong  to  a  higher  region  of  thought  than  ordinary 
human  knowledge. 

Yet  the  analytical  method  holds  an  important 
though  secondary  place  in  all  religious  teaching. 
A  truth  of  faith  cannot  be  apprehended  without 
the  apprehension  of  its  terms ;  and  as  these  are 
generally  abstract,  we  teach  their  meaning  by  con- 
crete terms  familiar  to  the  child.  So,  too,  a  fact 
of  revelation  is  brought  home  by  an  analogous 
fact  of  everyday  experience. 

Teachers  will  sometimes  show  lack  of  docility 
in   preparing   their   Sunday    School   work.     They 


48  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY   SCHOOL 

will  come  irregularly  to  the  weekly  meetings;  or 
when  they  come,  they  will  idle  their  time  and 
distract  others.  The  director's  prudence  will 
guide  him  in  dealing  with  such  people.  At  first, 
he  will  be  very  gentle  and  patient  with  them, 
giving  their  good  sense  an  opportunity  of  bring- 
ing them  into  line  with  the  others ;  but  if  they 
show  no  sign  of  improvement,  the  interest  of  the 
school  will  oblige  him  to  use  kindly  pressure  im- 
perceptibly tightening  around  them  until  it  begins 
to  tell.  After  this,  they  may  be  expected  either 
to  change  for  the  better  or  to  leave. 

4.  Ev&n  temper.  This  qualification  does  not 
mean  that  the  temper  should  be  always  the  same, 
but  that  the  teacher  should  have  it  under  perfect 
control  and  that  it  should  be  held  on  a  level  with 
the  occasion  and  circumstances. 

One  who  cannot  command  his  temper  should  not 
be  a  teacher.  Children  will  not  respect  him,  will 
not  learn  well  for  him,  will  not  keep  order  for 
him — on  the  contrary,  will  do  many  things  pur- 
posely to  annoy  him.  His  influence  is  prejudicial 
to  the  formation  of  Christian  character  in  his  pu- 
pils ;  for  meekness  and  self-control  are  essential  ele- 


THE  TEACHERS:  THEIR  QUAI.IFICATIONS     49 

ments  of  it,  and  his  example  draws  in  an  opposite 
direction. 

An  even  temper  does  not  imply  a  dead  temper. 
It  would  help  to  spoil  children,  if  the  teacher's 
placidity  gave  them  to  understand  that  he  was  in- 
different to  what  they  did,  said,  or  learned  in 
class.  There  is  useful  moral  training  in  letting  a 
disorderly,  stubborn,  or  idle  child  see  at  once  what 
the  teacher  thinks  and  feels  about  it.  The  expres- 
sion of  the  thought  and  feeling  may  be  made  as 
clearly  and  forcibly  by  a  look  or  a  movement  of 
the  hand  (not  by  a  blow),  as  by  word;  but  it 
should  be  characterized  by  mildness  and  self-re- 
straint. 

5.  Ability  to  keep  order.  This  depends  much  on 
the  preceding  qualification,  and  the  two  are  gen- 
erally found  combined.  It  depends  still  more  on 
the  teacher's  power  of  inspiring  interest;  for  an 
interested  class  will  itself  enforce  order  on  the 
luckless  member  who  will  attempt  to  disturb  it. 
If  the  Sunday  School  be  held  in  the  church,  the 
children  should  be  impressed  from  the  start  with 
the  saeredness  of  the  place,  and  be  given  very 
emphatically  to  understand  that  no  wilful  levity 


50  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

shall  be  tolerated.  When  this  becomes  the  uni- 
form attitude  of  the  teachers,  they  will  have  little 
trouble  in  maintaining  order.  Should  the  school 
not  be  held  in  the  church,  the  teacher  will  be  put 
more  on  his  mettle ;  but  firmness  and  tact,  combined 
with  gentleness  and  patience,  will  eventually  over- 
come the  most  stubborn  resistance. 

6.  Practical  knowledge  of  religion.  In  this  qual- 
ification is  implied  a  substantial  knowledge  of  the 
catechism,  not  merely  as  a  system  of  religious 
ideas,  but  as  the  authoritative  spiritual  and  moral 
guide  of  the  soul.  It  implies  also  a  conviction  of 
the  necessity  and  blessings  of  religious  instruc- 
tion and  training,  from  which  conviction  springs 
the  desire  of  cooperating  in  the  work. 

A  director,  without  formal  examination,  will  en- 
deavor to  find  out  how  much  the  candidate  knows 
about  the  catechism;  and  where  he  finds  sincere 
goodwill,  joined  to  a  desire  of  re-learning  what  has 
been  forgotten,  he  will  make  liberal  allowance  for 
hazy  religious  knowledge.  Indeed,  he  should  never 
dismiss  anyone  on  account  of  ignorance ;  because 
although  he  may  not  be  able  to  engage  such  a  one 
as  a  teacher,  he  can  make  him  registrar  or  time- 


THE  TEACHERS:   THEIR  QUALIFICATIONS      51 

keeper,  meanwhile  insisting  on  his  learning  his  re- 
ligion more  thoroughly. 

7.  Good  elementary  education.  This  require- 
ment needs  no  comment.  Children  would  be  apt 
to  despise  a  teacher  who  could  not  speak  the 
vernacular  correctly.  To  enable  him  to  do  this, 
an  elementary  education  ought  to  be  sufficient. 

8.  Love  of  children.  It  is  the  source  of  that 
goodwill  of  which  I  have  already  spoken.  I  have 
left  it  for  last,  to  give  it  a  climax-position,  on 
account  of  its  supreme  importance.  The  teacher 
who  loves  the  children  of  his  class  will  be  loved 
by  them  in  turn;  they  will  obey  him  cheerfully; 
they  will  do  nothing  deliberately  to  give  him  an- 
noyance ;  they  will  overlook  or  excuse  failings  in 
him  that  would  repel  or  disgust  them  in  others. 
In  one  word,  his  influence  over  them  is  unbounded. 
Moreover,  this  love  will  sustain  him  more  than 
any  other  motive  in  the  arduous  work  of  prepara- 
tion for  teaching.  It  will  make  him  obedient, 
docile,  eager  for  counsel,  thankful  for  correction. 
It  will  include  most  of  the  other  qualifications, 
or,  at  least,  inspire  the  determination  to  acquire 


52  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

them.     In  fine,  it  is  the  strongest  incentive  to,  as 
well  as  the  surest  guarantee  of,  perseverance. 

This  love  of  children  is  a  growth,  the  root  of 
which  is  the  natural  love  we  all  feel  for  the  young 
and  innocent.  Of  all  the  phases  of  life,  childhood 
is  the  most  beautiful.  It  is  the  only  realization 
we  ever  meet  of  that  world-old  dream  of  hu- 
manity— the  Golden  Age.  But  although  in  its 
human  form  it  should  be  retained  and  treasured 
as  a  divine  gift,  it  has  to  be  supernaturalized,  or 
it  will  avail  but  little  in  the  Sunday  School.  A 
child  is  a  ward  of  Jesus  Christ,  an  object  of  tender- 
est  affection  to  Him,  an  earthly  symbol  and  me- 
mento of  His  Father's  court.  It  is  still  clothed 
in  its  baptismal  robe, — the  fruit  of  His  Passion; 
it  partakes  of  His  own  Divine  Nature  by  sancti- 
fying grace,  and  by  virtue  of  its  adoption  it  is 
called  one  day  to  share  in  His  glory  and  happiness. 
A  child,  then,  has  more  than  the  fresh  flower-like 
beauty  of  opening  life  to  draw  our  hearts  to  it. 
For  this,  indeed,  we  shall  always  love  it;  but  we 
shall  love  it  still  more,  because  Jesus  Christ  loves 
it  with  such  a  special  love,  because  He  bids  us 
to  love  it  and  to  be  gentle  and  reverent  toward  it. 


THE  TEACHERS:  THEIR  QUALIFICATIONS     53 

because  of  its  nearness  to  God,  its  likeness  to  God, 
its  revelation  of  God. 

The  more  a  teacher  grows  in  this  supernatural 
love  of  his  pupils,  the  better  and  more  permanent 
work  he  will  do.  Yet  a  director  will  keep  in  mind 
that  it  is  a  growth;  and  he  will  not  look  for  much 
manifestation  of  it,  at  first,  in  his  assistants.  He 
will  be  satisfied  to  find  in  them  a  healthy  human 
sympathy  with  child-life,  and  a  strong  interest  in 
its  education  and  training.  This  sympathy  and 
interest  he  will  try  to  spiritualize  by  motives  of 
faith  and  divine  charity, — but  cautiously  and  in- 
directly, so  as  not  to  create  alarm  or  discourage- 
ment. 

Children  are  quick  to  perceive  and  resent  any 
simulation  of  love  for  them.  You  must  be  sin- 
cere with  them,  or  you  will  never  win  their  con- 
fidence or  affection.  Hence,  those  who  are  indif- 
ferent to  them  and  who  undertake  Sunday  School 
work  chiefly  from  a  sense  of  duty,  will  never  make 
good  teachers. 

A  teacher's  love  of  his  pupils  is  liable  to  one 
great  danger — partiality,  or  favoritism.  Few 
things  are  more  hurtful  to  a  class  than  this.     It 


54  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

arouses  resentful  feelings  in  the  unfavored,  pre- 
vents their  progress,  and  makes  the  school  odious 
to  them.  A  director  must  stamp  it  out  at  any- 
cost. 

Finally,  a  teacher  must  never  allow  affection  for 
his  class  to  induce  him  to  take  side  with  it  against 
the  administration  of  the  school.  To  express  dis- 
approbation of  any  decision  or  arrangement  of  the 
director  would  be  most  harmful  to  discipline ;  and 
to  do  this  for  sake  of  popularity,  would  manifest 
a  weakness  of  character  of  which  the  children 
would  very  quickly  take  advantage. 


CHAPTER  VII 

INSTRUCTION   OF   TEACHERS 

Having  secured  as  many  teachers  as  the  parish 
will  supply,  the  director  sets  about  instructing 
them  in  their  work.  He  meets  them  once  or  twice 
a  week,  gives  them  a  simple,  informal  "talk"  on 
what  they  will  have  to  do,  shows  them  how  to  pre- 
pare a  lesson  for  teaching,  and  gets  each  in  turn 
to  give  one  to  the  others.  I  give  an  outline  of 
matter  for  those  talks,  not  for  the  guidance  of 
the  director,  but  for  the  benefit  of  young  teachers, 
who,  by  this  means,  will  be  enabled  better  to  as- 
similate and  practise  the  instructions  given  at  the 
meetings. 

1.  There  are  three  agencies  at  the  command  of 
every  teacher :  prayer ;  example ;  and  teaching.  Of 
these  the  first  two  are  the  most  necessary  and  the 
most  potent.  Prayer  especially  should  always  form 
part  of  our  preparation  for  teaching. 

2.  To  "teach"   is  to  make   another  know   and 

55 


56  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

remember  something  of  which  he  was  previously- 
ignorant.  I  say  "remember,"  because  the  knowl- 
edge communicated  should  be  impressed  on  the 
memory  as  well  as  on  the  understanding.  Nor  is 
the  work  of  teaching  complete,  if  the  person  taught 
is  not  able  to  express  the  knowledge  received.  It 
follows  from  this,  that  there  is  no  teaching  in  a 
Sunday  School,  unless  the  child  is  made  to  know 
and  enabled  to  carry  away  with  it  some  spiritual 
idea  or  truth  that  it  did  not  know  before. 

3.  If  religion  were  an  abstract  or  speculative  sci- 
ence, the  knowledge  of  its  truths  would  satisfy  the 
end  of  teaching  it.  But  it  is  not,  primarily,  ab- 
stract or  speculative, — it  is  action,  work,  practical, 
everyday  duty;  it  is  an  art,  demanding,  indeed, 
knowledge  for  its  foundation,  but  above  this,  train- 
ing, exercise,  skill.  Now,  as  no  one  thinks  of  learn- 
ing an  art,  solely  or  chiefly  by  learning  the  the- 
oretic principles  of  it,  so,  no  one  should  think  of 
learning  religion,  by  merely  learning  the  truths 
which  are  its  groundwork.  Practical  religion  is  the 
supplement  of  the  speculative  truths  taught  in  the 
catechism,  and  should  not  be  separated  from  them. 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS  57 

"As  the  body  without  the  spirit  is  dead,  so  also 
faith  without  works  is  dead."    James  ii,  26. 

4.  The  object  of  all  Sunday  School  work  is 
threefold:  the  knowledge  of  religion;  the  love  of 
religion;  and  the  practice  of  religion.  Hence, 
teachers  are  to  be  disabused  of  the  old  error,  that 
hearing  a  oatechism-recitation  is  teaching  cate- 
chisifi.  It  is  not  teaching  at  all;  and,  certainly, 
not  teaching  religion. 

5.  Is  it  to  be  inferred  from  what  has  been  here 
said,  that  the  speculative  truths  taught  in  the 
catechism  are  of  secondary  importance  1  Certainly 
not,  any  more  than  the  foundation  of  a  house  is 
secondary  to  the  house  erected  on  it.  Besides, 
the  speculative  truths  of  faith  have  a  distinct  and 
independent  value,  inasmuch  as  they  inform  and 
perfect  the  intellect. 

6.  It  is  of  prime  importance  that  teachers  should 
inspire  their  pupils  with  a  love  of  religion;  for, 
although  it  is  true  that  we  love  only  what  we 
know,  there  is  truth  also  in  the  apparent  paradox, 
that  '*we  know  only  what  we  love."  If  children 
love  religion  in  general  as  something  good  and 
beautiful  and  useful,  they  will  be  drawn  to  study 


58  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

it  with  more  zest  and  interest,  than  if  it  were 
indifferent  to  them.  Moreover,  the  practice  of 
religion  under  coercion  and  constraint  produces  no 
permanent  habit  in  the  soul.  Experience  shows 
us  that  when  the  pressure  is  removed,  the  practice 
is  very  soon  dropped — often  with  a  swing  of  the 
soul  toward  infidelity  and  vice.  Such,  then,  is  not 
the  knowledge  or  practice  of  religion  that  the 
Sunday  School  must  aim  at.  The  child  must  be 
led  to  look  on  it  as  so  beneficial  and  necessary, 
that  the  spiritual  work  it  enjoins  would  be  per- 
formed, though  there  were  not  a  teacher  or  a 
superior  within  a  thousand  miles  of  it. 

7.  As  to  the  religious  training  of  children,  much 
cannot  be  done  in  the  Sunday  School,  as  the  home 
is  the  chief  training-ground  for  it,  under  the  di- 
rection and  supervision  of  their  parents.  Still 
something  can  be  done  in  the  Sunday  School  also; 
for  example:  respect  for  the  House  of  God;  faith 
in  the  Most  Holy  Eucharist;  truthfulness;  mutual 
courtesy  and  kindness;  obedience;  self-control; 
modesty;  helpfulness;  forgiveness  of  injuries;  or- 
der; politeness,  etc.  Our  principal  training- work, 
however,  consists  in  the  Daily  Practice  (to  be  ex- 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS  59 

plained  hereafter),  and  in  the  pious  acts,  corre- 
sponding with  the  lesson  taught,  which  will  be  sug- 
gested by  the  teacher. 

8.  Before  instructing  teachers  in  the  details  of 
their  work,  it  is  most  useful  to  give  them  a  definite 
idea  of  the  equipment  and  endowments  of  a  pupil 
on  finishing  the  Sunday  School  course;  and  each 
teacher  should  know  how  much  the  work  of  his 
class  is  to  contribute  to  that  object.  The  following 
is  a  summary  of  the  acquirements  of  a  graduate 
from  the  Perseverance  class : 

A.  The  knowledge  of  religion:  (a)  A  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  catechism;  (b)  General  knowl- 
edge of  the  Bible— the  number,  authorship,  inspira- 
tion, and  subjects  of  the  books;  (c)  Bible  history 
—old  and  New  Testaments;  (d)  The  Life  of  our 
Divine  Lord — summary  of  His  teaching.  His 
miracles,  parables,  prophecies;  (e)  Outlines  of 
Church  history,  including  that  of  our  country  and 
state;  (f)  Knowledge  of  the  ceremonies  of  the 
Mass  and  the  Sacraments,  of  the  feasts  of  the 
ecclesiastical  year,  of  the  chief  popular  devotions. 

B.  The  love  of  religion.    As  this,  like  everything 
else    connected    with    man's    spiritual    life,    is    a 


60  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

growth,  all  we  can  expect  is  hopeful  signs  of  its 
future  development  in  children.  Those  signs 
should  manifest  themselves  in  the  following  direc- 
tions: (a)  Sincere  attachment  to  the  Church,  and 
sympathetic  interest  in  her  apostolic  work  all  over 
the  world,  especially  in  one's  own  country,  diocese, 
and  parish;  (b)  Ability  and  eagerness  to  defend 
religion;  (c)  Earnestness  in  helping  and  instruct- 
ing honest  searchers  after  divine  truth;  (d) 
Cordial  appreciation  of  the  devotional  life  of  the 
Church;  (e)  Admiration  for  those  men  and  women 
of  the  past  whose  lives  were  an  embodiment  of 
the  highest  teaching  of  the  Gospel;  (f)  A  taste  for 
spiritual  reading  and  Catholic  literature;  (g)  Lib- 
eral cooperation  with  Catholic  charities, 

C.  The  practice  of  religion,  (a)  Morning  and 
night  prayers ;  (b)  Mass,  sermon,  and  evening  ser- 
vice on  Sundays  and  holy  days;  (c)  Monthly  Con- 
fession and  Communion;  (d)  Avoidance  of  un- 
healthy associations;  (e)  Membership  in  some 
church  society;  (f)  Cooperation  in  parish  work. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS  {Continued) 

From  the  two  preceding  chapters  teachers  will 
forra  a  good  general  idea  of  the  qualifications 
they  should  bring  to  their  work  and  of  the  main 
outlines  of  that  work.  (A)  The  qualifications  are: 
good  character;  goodwill;  docility;  even  temper; 
ability  to  keep  order;  practical  knowledge  of  re- 
ligion; good  elementary  education;  and  love  of 
children.  (B)  As  to  the  main  outlines  of  their 
work,  they  should  be  thoroughly  impressed  with 
these  fundamental  truths:  (a)  Prayer  and  ex- 
ample are  at  least  as  necessary  as  teaching;  (b) 
There  is  no  teaching  without  learning;  (c)  Re- 
ligion is  not  taught  adequately,  unless  we  inspire 
love  for  it  and  train  in  the  practice  of  it;  (d) 
Teachers  should  keep  clearly  before  them  the  defi- 
nite results  aimed  at  by  the  Sunday  School. 

The  director  will  next  describe  in  detail  the  best 
method  of  bringing  home  to  the  souls  of  children 

61 


62  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

the  adequate  knowledge  of  a  revealed  truth.  This 
method  consists:  (1)  in  making  the  truth  under- 
stood; (2)  in  impressing  it  on  the  memory;  (3)  in 
picturing  it  to  the  imagination;  (4)  in  making  it 
personal  and  bringing  it  in  touch  with  the  emo- 
tions; and  (5)  in  applying  it  for  the  guidance  of 
life  and  conduct. 

In  the  present  chapter  I  will  confine  myself  to 
the  first  two  of  these  processes — the  understanding 
and  the  memorizing  of  the  truth. 

1.  The  apprehension  of  the  truth.  We  teach 
children  to  apprehend  a  truth  when  we  explain 
the  words  used  in  its  enunciation  and  their  con- 
nection. This  last  presents  no  difficulty,  as  the 
sentence-forms  of  the  answers  in  the  catechism  are 
plain  and  intelligible  when  the  word-meanings  are 
understood. 

What  the  knowledge  of  materials  and  tools  is  to 
a  builder,  word-meanings  are  to  a  child  learning  its 
religion.  Every  teacher  knows  how  limited  is 
a  child's  vocabulary;  but  not  every  teacher  keeps 
the  limitation  in  mind  while  instructing  it.  The 
language  of  the  Church  and  of  the  catechism  is 
largely  abstract  and  technical.     Many  of  the  words 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS    (CONTINUED)    63 

used  are  never  heard  in  ordinary  conversation ; 
they  are  not  found  in  secular  class-books;  nor  are 
they  employed  by  secular  teachers;  they  do  not 
touch  on  the  narrow  sphere  of  a  child's  home-life. 
Hence,  it  is  an  error  to  presume,  that,  because 
a  pupil  is  in  the  seventh  or  eighth  grade,  it  knows 
the  meaning  of  the  abstract  or  technical  terms  of 
the  catechism.  "Whoever  has  to  instruct  the  young, 
particularly  in  matters  of  religion,  should  pre- 
sume on  their  knowing  extremely  little. 

Teachers,  then,  must  be  impressed  with  the  ab- 
solute necessity  of  explaining  almost  every  pre- 
sentive  word  used  in  the  lesson  taught,  and  ex- 
plaining it  in  the  child's  vocabulary.  Moreover, 
the  explanation  of  the  more  important  words 
should  be  illustrated  by  example.  Take  for  in- 
stance the  word  Redemption  which  occurs  in  the 
tenth  lesson  of  the  catechism.  The  teacher  gives 
its  meaning:  the  freeing  or  delivering  of  a  person 
from  bondage.  This  definition  may  be  clear 
enough ;  but  on  account  of  its  importance  he  should 
make  it  still  clearer  by  giving  the  example  of  a 
prisoner  or  slave  set  at  liberty  by  the  payment  of  a 
sum  of  money  or  other  means.     If  such  illustra- 


64  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

tions  be  given  in  the  form  of  stories,  they  will 
secure  the  interest  and  attention  of  the  class, 
and  help  to  make  the  Sunday  School  very  attract- 
ive. 

Word-meanings  have  not  only  to  be  brought 
home  to  the  child's  understanding;  they  have  also 
to  be  stamped  on  its  memory.  This  is  done  by 
repetition.  Let  the  teacher  be  instructed  never 
to  tire  of  repetition.  Children  take  kindly  to  it, 
because  it  does  not  entail  much  mental  work;  and 
it  is  the  only  means  of  making  acquired  knowledge 
a  permanent  possession. 

One  of  the  chief  difficulties  encountered  by  chil- 
dren in  learning  religion  is  the  frequent  use  of 
abstract  words.  Many  of  these  may  be  explained 
by  other  abstract  terms  familiar  to  everyone;  for 
example,  the  word  Bedemption.  Most  of  them, 
however,  have  no  corresponding  synonyms,  intel- 
ligible to  children.  In  such  case  I  would 
recommend  that  those  words  be  explained  by  the 
concrete  forms  from  which  they  are  taken.  Thus, 
in  explaining  the  Incarnation,  I  would  speak  of  the 
Incarnate  God,  or,  God  made  flesh — become  man 
for  us.     Such  concrete  expressions  are  easily  un- 


"  INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS   (CONTINUED)     65 

derstood,  and  they  imprint  a  definite  image  on 
the  imagination. 

Without  forestalling  what  I  have  to  say  on  the 
affective  element  in  teaching,  I  would  mention  here, 
that  no  meaning  of  an  emotional  word  is  adequate 
that  does  not  include  some  development  of  the 
feeling  suggested  by  it.  The  sight  of  human  blood 
fresh  from  an  open  wound  excites  a  painful  feeling 
in  most  people;  but  this  feeling  would  be  lost 
in  overwhelming  gratitude,  if  I  realized  that  the 
blood  was  shed  to  save  me  from  death.  Has  the 
mention  of  the  Blood  of  Jesus  Christ,  of  His 
Scourging,  His  Crowning  with  Thorns,  His  Five 
Wounds,  any  similar  effect  on  me?  When  I  say, 
"my  Father,"  the  idea  is  suffused  with  emotion; 
but  when  I  say,  *  *  Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven, ' ' 
the  mental  picture  is  as  colorless  as  a  photograph. 
Words  used  in  the  teaching  of  religion  should  be 
painted  in  color — not  outlined  in  black  and  white. 

When  the  hard  words  of  an  answer  in  the  les- 
son have  been  explained,  the  teacher  gives  the 
answer  in  simpler  form;  in  other  words,  he  para- 
phrases it.  In  doing  this,  he  places  the  explained 
and  the  explanatoiy  word  side  by  side;  or  if  he 


66  THE  CATPIOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

has  made  a  concrete  presentment  of  the  answer, 
he  points  out  the  connection  between  the  abstract 
form  and  the  corresponding  form  of  the  para- 
phrase. 

2.  Impression  of  the  truth  on  the  memory.  This 
is  something  altogether  distinct  from  the  memor- 
izing of  the  lesson.  It  is  work  to  be  done  with 
the  child  as  a  necessary  part  of  the  explanation 
of  the  next  Sunday's  lesson.  The  idea  is,  to  ex- 
plain the  meaning  of  each  answer,  to  impress  that 
meaning  (not  necessarily  the  words)  on  the  child's 
memory,  and  then  to  give  a  fuller  explanation, 
through  the  imagination,  feelings,  and  will,  of  the 
central  truth  of  the  lesson,  usually  indicated  by 
the  heading. 

The  best  and,  perhaps,  the  only  method  of  im- 
pressing a  truth  on  the  memory  of  a  child  is,  to 
question  often  and  to  repeat  often.  The  latter  is 
analogous  to  the  repeated  blows  of  a  hammer;  it 
drives  the  truth  home.  The  former  impresses  the 
truth  by  the  effort  the  child  makes  to  express  it. 


CHAPTER  IX 

INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS  (Contimied) 

A  teacher  will  have  done  much  when  he  has  im- 
pressed a  truth  on  the  intellect  and  the  memory 
of  a  child.  For  a  considerable  time  he  may  not 
be  able  to  do  any  more;  and  if  so,  he  should  be 
content  to  strive  for  perfection  within  the  sphere 
of  the  work  he  can  do.  Yet  the  knowledge  he 
thus  conveys  is  merely  intellectual.  It  does  not 
touch  the  imagination,  the  feelings,  the  heart  and 
will — it  is  not  spiritual  knowledge, — it  is  not  the 
adequate  presentment  of  Christian  faith  as  the 
root-principle  of  Christian  life.  "My  just  one 
liveth  by  faith. " 

The  Sunday  School  teacher  should  fit  himself  to 
give  this  fuller  and  deeper  spiritual  knowledge ;  and 
the  method  of  giving  it,  as  I  have  already  pointed 
out,  is:  (1)  to  represent  it  to  the  imagination, 
(2)  to  make  it  personal  and  to  bring  it  in  touch 
with  the  emotions,  and  (3)  to  give  it  practical  ap- 

67 


68  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

plication  by  an  act  of  the  will  (a  resolution  or  a 
prayer) . 

1.  To  represent  a  truth  to  the  imagination.  This 
is  done  in  different  ways  according  to  the  character 
of  the  truth. 

(a)  Give  the  fundamental  truths  in  the  form  of 
facts,  as  they  are  laid  down  in  the  Bible.  Crea- 
tion, Original  Sin,  the  Incarnation,  Nativity,  Life 
and  Death  of  Jesus  Christ,  also  His  Resurrection 
and  Ascension,  as  well  as  the  Descent  of  the  Holy 
Ghost — all  these  truths,  if  given  in  the  narrative 
form  of  Sacred  Scripture,  will  imprint  very  vivid 
and  definite  pictures  of  them  on  the  soul. 

(b)  The  nature  and  attributes  of  God,  grace, 
prayer,  virtue,  vice,  and,  generally,  all  other  ab- 
stract truths,  are  to  be  brought  home  to  the  im- 
agination by  comparisons.  A  friend  making  us  a 
present  illustrates  God's  giving  us  all  things;  a 
mother  helping  her  child  with  its  lessons,  giving 
it  a  new  dress,  granting  something  it  asks,  dis- 
pleased with  something  it  has  done — these  com- 
parisons give  body  and  shape  to  the  abstract  ideas 
of  grace,  actual  and  habitual,  prayer,  and  sin. 
Teachers,  of  course,  will  use  for  illustrative  pur- 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS   (CONTINUED)     69 

poses  only  objects,  facts,  and  truths  familiar  to 
children. 

(c)  The  Sacraments,  being  external  actions,  are 
easily  described  to  children.  I  would,  however, 
give  the  principal  details  of  the  administration  of 
each,  before  pointing  out  its  essential  elements 
(matter  and  form).  Besides,  I  would  explain  the 
Sacraments  in  general,  only  after  I  had  explained 
them  separately.  The  Sacramentals  should  be  de- 
scribed in  a  similar  manner. 

(d)  To  stamp  the  Commandments  on  a  child's 
imagination,  let  the  teacher  take  an  ideal  Chris- 
tian home,  describe  the  actions  of  parents,  children 
and  servants,  and  show  how  those  actions  fulfil 
the  Commandments  of  God  and  of  the  Church. 

(e)  Narrative  and  verbal  descriptions  are  not 
wholly  sufficient  to  impress  a  truth  vividly  on  the 
imagination.  The  eye  as  well  as  the  ear  of  the 
child  should  be  enlisted  to  form  the  impression. 
Hence,  pictures,  especially  those  that  are  colored, 
are  most  valuable  helps  to  a  teacher  in  this  part  of 
his  work. 

2.  To  make  a  truth  personal  and  hring  it  in 
touch  with  the  emotions.    A  verbal  or  pictorial 


70  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

representation  of  a  truth  will  arouse  some  elemen- 
tary emotions  in  a  child ;  but  they  will  be  transitory 
and  ineffectual  without  the  direction  and  enforce- 
ment of  the  teacher. 

A  revealed  truth,  no  matter  how  definitely  pic- 
tured in  the  imagination,  will  not  arouse  any  keen 
emotions  unless  it  be  made  personal  to  the  child. 
Therefore  the  teacher  must  accustom  the  child  to 
think  of  the  revealed  truth  or  fact  as  intended  for 
it  personally.  ' '  I  live, ' '  writes  St.  Paul  to  the  Ga- 
latians,  ' '  in  the  faith  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  loved 
me,  and  delivered  himself  for  me."  Without  this 
personal  appropriation  of  the  truth  learned,  emo- 
tion will  remain  sentiment,  and  will  never  develop 
into  desire  and  resolution. 

The  principal  emotions  which  a  teacher  may  aim 
at  exciting  in  a  child  are  the  following :  liking  and 
disliking;  happiness  and  sorrow;  hope  and  fear; 
love  and  hatred;  self-respect  and  shame;  courage 
and  dread ;  joy  and  pain ;  desire  and  aversion ;  pity 
and  contempt.  Besides  these,  there  are,  admira- 
tion, awe,  horror,  enthusiasm,  gratitude,  etc. 
For  a  teacher  to  excite  any  emotion,  the  first 
thing  necessary  is,  that  he  himself  be  genuinely 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS   (CONTINUED)      71 

moved  by  the  truth,  in  the  direction  in  which  he 
would  m(5ve  the  child.  Secondly,  he  must  aim  at 
exciting  but  one  emotion,  and  that  the  most  directly 
suggested  by  the  truth.  Thirdly,  he  asks  the  child 
to  fancy  itself  in  the  scene  described  or  depicted, 
not  as  a  looker  on  but  as  an  agent  or  participator, 
and  to  think  of  the  scene  itself  as  a  reality,  hap- 
pening not  a  long  time  ago  nor  a  long  way  off,  but 
here  and  now.  ' '  What  would  you  feel  and  think, ' ' 
he  asks  the  child,  ' '  if  you  were  so  placed  ?  .  .  . 
Should  you  not  feel  and  think  the  same  now?  for 
is  not  this  truth  revealed  for  you  personally?" 
Fourthly,  to  prolong  and  deepen  the  emotion,  he 
repeats  what  he  has  already  said  about  it.  Fifthly, 
he  asks  the  class  to  join  in  a  short  prayer,  that  the 
impression  made  may  grow  into  desire  and  resolu- 
tion. 

For  example  take  the  Goodness  of  God.  This  in- 
cludes the  Fulness  of  being,  infinite  Holiness,  and 
infinite  Kindness.  This  last  form  of  the  Attribute 
is  the  one  which  the  teacher  will  try  to  bring  home 
to  the  child's  imagination  and  feelings.  He  will 
say:  ''A  very  kind  friend  has  been  sending  you 
presents   for  a  long  time.     Some   of   them   have 


72  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

come  through  your  parents;  but  most  have  been 
given  you  by  himself  directly,  although  yon  did  not 
know  it.  He  is  always  very  near  you,  and  he  loves 
you  very  much,  and  he  desires  you  to  love  him  in 
return.  (Don't  you  think  he  deserves  it?)  He  is 
ever  so  patient;  and  when  you  do  something  that 
displeases  him,  he  does  not  punish  you  as  he  might ; 
but  he  waits  until  you  are  truly  sorry,  when  he  for- 
gives you  and  takes  your  word  that  you  will  not 
again  give  him  pain,  (Does  not  your  heart  warm 
to  such  a  friend  ?)  He  is  very  great  and  strong  and 
powerful;  and  he  lives  in  a  magnificent  palace 
where  all  his  friends  are  exceedingly  happy,  be- 
cause he  is  so  kind  to  them  and  gives  them  every 
thing  they  can  desire.  After  some  years  he  intends 
to  take  you  there,  and  then  you  will  see  him  for 
the  first  time,  and  you  will  live  with  him  and  his 
friends,  full  of  all  joy  and  happiness  for  ever. 
Now,  you  have  been  guessing  who  that  kind,  good 
friend  is;  and  I  am  sure  you  have  guessed  right. 
It  is  God,  Is  he  not  good?  ...  Do  you  not 
feel  grateful  and  thankful  to  Him  ?  .  .  .  Should 
you  not  do  something  for  Him  in  return?  .  .  . 
Do  you  think  of  anything  you  can  do  to  give  Him 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS   (CONTINUED)      73 

great  pleasure?  .  .  .  Let  us  ask  His  help  to 
be  kind  to  every  one  around  us.     .     .     ." 

Such  abstractions  as  sin,  virtue,  grace,  prayer, 
etc.,  may  be  brought  in  touch  with  the  emotions 
in  the  following  manner.  They  are,  first,  put  in 
concrete  form — a  sinner,  a  good  child,  a  holy  child, 
a  child  that  says  its  prayers,  etc.  Next,  the  at- 
tribute is  made  specific: — for  sin  you  take  lying; 
for  virtue,  purity ;  for  grace,  the  inspiration  to  be 
kind  and  gentle  with  brothers  and  sisters;  etc. 
Lastly,  the  person  possessing  these  qualities  is  de- 
scribed vividly  and  minutely,  and  the  child  is 
asked  to  imagine  himself  such  a  person.  How 
would  he  feel  to  be  distrusted  and  scorned  by  every 
one  as  a  liar?     ... 

3.  To  give  practical  application  to  a  truth  hy  an 
act  of  the  will.  Theology  treats  divine  truth  in  an 
impersonal  way ;  and  there  has  been  a  strong  tend- 
ency to  teach  the  catechism  in  a  similar  manner, 
making  children  hearers  of  the  law,  indeed,  but  tak- 
ing no  heed  of  their  becoming  doers  of  it.  Under 
stress  of  adverse  circumstances,  this  is  sometimes 
inevitable ;  and  in  such  circumstances  it  has  been  in- 
variably found  that  the  Holy  Ghost  supplied  for 


74  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

the  practical  moral  training  that  the  pastor  could 
not  give.  In  normal  conditions,  however,  Church 
history  teaches,  that  unless  children's  knowledge  of 
their  religion  be  made  the  groundwork  and  the  mo- 
tive of  their  practice  of  it,  an  abundant  crop  of  ig- 
norance, vice  and  superstition  will  be  the  result — 
the  mournful  heritage  of  the  next  generation.  I 
am  profoundly  convinced,  then,  that  children  ought 
to  be  trained  in  the  practical  application  of  the 
principal  truths  they  learn  in  the  catechism,  for  the 
regulation  of  each  one's  life  and  conduct.  The  les- 
sons on  the  Sacraments  and  Commandments  easily 
suggest  this  application;  but  it  is  tlie  doctrinal 
foundation  of  the  Sacraments  and  Commandments, 
especially  the  Incarnation  of  God  for  us,  that  we 
have,  above  all  things  else,  to  bring  home  to  the 
hearts  of  our  young  people. 

It  is  not  practicable  to  urge  on  a  child  more 
than  a  few  external  practices  in  any  one  lesson. 
Therefore,  although  each  truth  taught  and  im- 
pressed on  the  memory  should,  as  far  as  possible, 
be  brought  home  to  the  imagination  and  feelings, 
not  more  than  one  or  two  at  a  time  ought  to  be 
made  formally  directive  of  external  conduct. 


INSTRUCTION  OF  TEACHERS   (CONTINUED)      75 

The  practical  lesson  should  be  adapted  to  child- 
life;  and  it  should  be  easily  deducible  from  the 
truth  explained.  The  following  are  some  practices 
that  a  teacher  may  draw  frequently  from  the  les- 
sons: a  reverent  attitude  toward  God  and  holy 
things;  prayer,  Mass,  and  the  Sacraments;  respect 
for  the  authority  of  pastor,  parents,  and  teachers; 
cheerfulness,  help  and  obedience  in  the  home;  lov- 
ing kindness  to  brothers  and  sisters;  truth;  hon- 
esty; temperance;  purity;  trustworthiness;  gentle- 
ness with  everything  weak  or  helpless. 

The  oftener  these  lessons  are  repeated,  the  bet- 
ter. Occasionally,  too,  they  should  be  given  all  to- 
gether, as  the  chief  characteristics  of  a  boy  or 
girl. 

To  draw  a  practical  conclusion  and  persuade  a 
child  to  it,  the  teacher  proceeds  somewhat  in  this 
manner.  Every  emotion  has  an  element  of  desire 
or  repulsion  in  it.  (For  convenience'  sake,  I 
speak  here  only  of  the  pleasurable  emotions,  as 
those  of  the  opposite  kind  are  developed  similarly.) 
When  we  feel  something  to  be  good,  beautiful,  use- 
ful, conducive  to  our  happiness,  we  instinctively 
begin  to  desire  it,  if  we  think  it  at  all  attainable. 


76  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

Such  desire  grows  rapidly  into  a  craving  or  long- 
ing ;  and  this  becomes  all  the  more  urgent  and  per- 
sistent, the  longer  the  object  is  kept  before  the  eyes 
or  the  imagination,  and  the  more  fully  the  want 
of  it  is  allowed  to  take  possession  of  the  soul. 
Hence,  the  teacher  will  use  the  different  forms  of 
repetition,  to  prolong  the  emotional  glow  which  his 
words  have  created;  and  at  the  same  time  he  will 
suggest  the  practical  resolution. 

As  the  mental  excitement  subsides,  the  child 
will  begin  to  feel  a  reaction  setting  in,  opposed 
to  the  resolution.  This  reaction  the  teacher  will 
meet,  by  answering  objections  and  removing  diffi- 
culties, before  they  have  acquired  strength  and 
definiteness.  He  then  says  with  the  class  a  short 
impromptu  prayer  for  grace  to  keep  the  resolution, 
and  leaves  the  rest  to  the  working  of  grace. 


CHAPTER  X 

RUDIMENTARY   MORAL   TRAINING 

There  are  some  natural  habits  underlying  the 
practice  of  religion  in  which  children  should  be 
trained.  A  wise  teacher  will  lose  no  opportunity 
of  developing  them,  as  far  as  his  limited  super- 
vision permits.  However,  the  well-ordered  Chris- 
tian home  is  the  best  training-ground  for  them. 

The  first  of  those  habits  is  self-control,  or,  its 
practical  equivalent,  self-denial.  It  is  intimately 
connected  with  the  spirit  of  religion ;  and  the  neces- 
sity of  it  is  one  of  the  first  convictions  forced  on 
the  dawning  intelligence  of  a  child.  Yet,  it  is  a 
necessity  against  which  most  of  us  maintain  a  life- 
long warfare. 

There  can  be  no  training  in  self-control  where 
the  child  has  everything  its  own  way,  is  thwarted 
in  no  inclination,  and  finds  those  around  it  anxious 
to  gratify  its  every  whim.  This  is  no  preparation 
for  the  hard  battle  of  life,  and  it  certainly  does  not 

77 


78  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

dispose  the  young  for  the  acceptance  and  practice 
of  vital  religion.  The  Sunday  School  teacher 
must,  therefore,  prepare  the  ground  for  his  future 
work  by  showing  the  beauty,  the  good,  the  nobility, 
the  material  advantages,  the  necessity  of  self-con- 
trol. He  must  also  recognize  and  praise  every 
manifestation  of  it  in  individual  members  of  his 
class.  A  child  comes  regularly  and  punctually  to 
Sunday  School;  it  has  always  memorized  its  les- 
sons ;  it  is  docile  and  attentive ;  it  gives  no  trouble. 
Such  a  child  shows  a  large  amount  of  self-control, 
and  the  teacher  who  does  not  manifest  his  approval 
fails  in  an  important  duty.  Another  child  comes 
late  and  irregularly,  and  scarcely  ever  knows  its 
lesson.  What  is  to  be  done  in  such  a  case?  Pun- 
ish? No;  I  should  rather  advise  recognition  of 
the  self-denial  manifested  in  the  child's  coming  at 
all,  with  encouragement  to  come  more  regularly. 
It  is  probable  that  this  child  gets  too  much  of  its 
own  way  at  home;  that,  in  consequence,  its  self- 
will  has  been  growing  without  check;  and  that  in 
coming  on  the  present  occasion  it  has  done  as  much 
violence  to  its  natural  inclination  as  was  done  by 
the  other  in  coming  every  Sunday.     If  mild,  per- 


RUDIMENTAHY  MORAL  TRAINING  79 

suasive  measures  be  found  ineffectual  for  training 
a  child  in  self-control,  increasing  pressure  must 
be  brought  to  bear  on  it;  but  so  gently,  that  the 
child  will  not  be  made  reckless  or  led  to  consider 
itself  a  "black  sheep." 

Respect  for  the  authority  of  parents,  pastor  and 
teachers  is  another  rudimentary  moral  habit  that 
has  to  be  ingrained  in  children  by  training  and 
instruction.  They  instinctively  recognize  their 
own  weakness  and  other  limitations,  and  are  dis- 
posed to  bow  to  the  authority  of  those  over  them, 
as  they  are  disposed  to  lean  on  their  strength  and  to 
be  guided  by  their  knowledge  and  experience. 
The  authority,  however,  must  be  wisely  and  equi- 
tably administered;  and  while  its  touch  on  the 
child's  life  should  be  generally  light  and,  as  far  as 
may  be,  pleasurable,  it  should  be  always  percepti- 
ble as  a  kind,  strong  guiding  influence. 

Truthfulness  does  not  invariably  characterize 
all  children  attending  the  Sunday  School ;  so  we 
sometimes  find  that  we  have  been  building  a  su- 
perstructure of  religion  and  pious  practices  on  a 
foundation  of  little  liars.  The  home  is  primarily 
to  blame;  but  we,  too,  are  not  without  fault  in 


80  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

neglecting  to  use  the  most  drastic  means,  if  neces- 
sary, to  crush  out  lying  from  the  souls  into  which 
we  are  pouring  divine  truth.  An  untruth  is  such 
an  easy  and  obvious  way  out  of  a  difficulty,  that 
children  are  tempted  to  have  recourse  to  it  from 
a  very  early  age.  And  the  temptation  becomes 
very  much  stronger,  if  an  undetected  lie  has  once 
saved  them  from  impending  punishment.  Hence, 
it  is  wise  and  by  no  means  unjust  to  presume  on 
so  much  of  this  habit  existing  in  our  class  as  to 
make  it  a  duty  to  speak  often  and  strongly  against 
it. 

A  teacher  has  many  opportunities  of  training 
his  class  in  the  habit  of  truth-telling.  If  a  child, 
on  being  asked,  why  come  so  late,  looks  down  and 
says  nothing,  it  should  be  blamed,  indeed,  for  ir- 
regularity, but  commended  for  loving  truth  too 
much  to  invent  an  excuse.  When  some  one  holds 
up  his  hand,  as  a  sign  that  he  knows  the  answer  to 
a  given  question,  and  it  turns  out  that  he  knows 
nothing  whatever  about  it,  he  should  be  told  that 
one  may  be  as  guilty  of  a  lie  by  a  false  sign  as  by  an 
untrue  word.  Yet,  I  would  give  such  a  one  credit 
for  not  knowing  this,  and  acquit  him  of  formal  un- 


RUDIMENTAHY  MORAL  TRAINING  81 

truth ;  because  children  set  a  high  value  on  the 
good  opinion  of  their  teacher,  and  will  make  a 
considerable  sacrifice  to  retain  it. 

A  child's  love  of  truth  should  not  be  tested  by 
asking  it  in  the  face  of  severe  punishment :  ' '  Did 
you  say  that  improper  word?"  "Did  you  break 
that  window?"  It  is  very  rarely,  too,  that  one 
child  should  be  asked  to  give  evidence  against  an- 
other. The  inducement  for  getting  the  other  off 
by  a  lie  is  too  great. 

Cultivate  a  sense  of  honor  in  children.  Make  it 
a  feature  of  your  class  to  feel  and  show  a  hearty 
loathing  for  all  meanness,  selfishness,  and  low  de- 
ceit and  cunning.  Teach  them  to  be  ladies  and 
gentlemen,  not  in  the  conventional  sense  of  the 
words,  but  in  the  sense  of  self-respect,  courtesy,, 
thought  for  the  feelings  and  claims  of  others,  as- 
sociation with  nothing  vile,  coarse  or  vicious.  No 
doubt,  there  is  danger  of  such  self-respect  de- 
veloping into  pride;  but  this  danger  will  be  re- 
moved by  telling  the  child  that  the  reason  for  self- 
respect  is  the  dignity  and  value  conferred  on  a 
soul  by  sanctifying  grace,  and  not  the  worth  of 
anything  we  are  or  have  of  ourselves. 


82  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

The  director  will  take  heed  that  these  rudimen- 
tary habits  are  given  frequently  for  "Daily  Prac- 
tice." He  will  also  keep  as  close  a  watch  on  the 
children's  manners  as  on  their  morals;  for  manners 
and  morals  are  very  closely  intertwined,  and  usu- 
ally stand  on  the  same  level.  Allowance,  never- 
theless, must  be  made  for  home  influences. 

It  is  needless  to  say,  that  I  do  not  attach  any 
supernatural  value  to  those  rudimentary  habits 
that  I  have  been  recommending,  unless  they  be  in- 
fluenced by  motives  of  faith.  But  here  I  would 
caution  the  Sunday  School  authorities  against  a 
tendency  which  is  by  no  means  imaginary.  It  is 
that  of  drawing  too  sharp  a  line  of  demarcation 
between  the  natural  and  the  supernatural,  between 
home  life  and  Sunday  School  life,  between  religion 
and  domestic  work.  People,  young  and  old,  are 
only  too  apt  to  keep  these  things  separate;  and 
the  consequence  is,  that  the  supernatural  comes  to 
be  relegated  to  a  very  obscure  narrow  corner  in 
men's  lives.  The  Sunday  School  is  bound  to  break 
down  this  wall  of  separation,  to  show  that  religion 
is  as  much  in  place  by  the  fireside  as  it  is  in  church, 
that  God  is  worshipped  by  the  service  of  a  child 


RUDIMENTARY  MORAL  TRAINING  83 

minding  the  baby  for  mother,  as  He  is  worshipped 
by  night  and  morning  prayers,  that  common  house- 
hold drudgery  is  often  as  acceptable  to  Heaven  as 
fasting  and  prayer,  that,  although  the  love  of  God 
is  a  duty  to  be  discharged  by  the  heart  and  the 
tongue,  it  is  also  discharged  by  the  hands,  in  doing 
faithfully  the  work  of  the  hour.  Let  us  teach  by  all 
means  such  truths  as  the  Infallibility  and  the  In- 
defectibility  of  the  Church;  but  let  us  remember 
always  that  our  chief  duty  is  to  bring  together,  to 
combine  and  blend  the  knowledge  of  the  Church 
with  the  knowledge  of  common  life,  so  that  the  one 
may  be  as  familiar  to  us  and  form  part  of  our 
daily  thought  and  life  as  the  other.  To  do  this, 
we  must  often  speak  of  the  home  and  of  homely 
things,  and  we  must  make  a  specialty  of  infus- 
ing religion  into  the  most  commonplace,  matter- 
of-fact  duties  of  children,— making  it  a  living  in- 
fluence rather  than  a  system  of  abstract  ideas. 


CHAPTER  XI 

GRADATION    OF    CLASSES 

In  some  rural  missions,  zealous  pastors,  finding 
it  impossible  to  procure  sufficient  teachers,  adopt 
an  alternative  to  the  classification  of  children, 
which  certainly  has  many  advantages,  and  this  in 
particular,  that  it  impresses  the  essential  truths  and 
duties  of  religion  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the 
young,  at  the  same  time  that  it  revives  the  fading 
impression  of  them  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the 
old.  The  Sunday  School  in  those  missions  is  con- 
ducted in  the  following  manner: 

Before  the  parochial  Mass,  some  teachers  mark 
the  attendance  and  hear  each  child  recite  the  cat- 
echism lesson.  Then,  as  soon  as  the  congregation 
is  assembled,  the  pastor  brings  the  whole  school 
to  the  front  of  the  altar  and,  vested  in  alb  and 
stole,  he  explains  to  them  and  the  people  the  lesson 
just  recited,  asking  questions  as  he  proceeds  to 
keep  up  the  attention  of  his  hearers,  and  giving 

84 


GRADATION  OF  CLASSES  85 

them  abundance  of  illustrations  to  make  the  mat- 
ter explained  intelligible  and  interesting  to  young 
and  old.  Each  instruction  has  a  practical  con- 
clusion sharply  pointed  and  driven  home  with  all 
the  earnestness  and  vigor  of  a  true  priest  of  God. 
In  this  manner,  the  whole  catechism  is  explained 
in  the  course  of  a  year ;  after  which  the  same  work 
is  repeated  from  the  conviction  that  the  catechism 
is  all  that  can  be  taught  well  under  the  circum- 
stances.— There  is  no  Bible  history,  Life  of  Our 
Divine  Lord,  Church  history  or  Liturgy,  except 
what  is  introduced  incidentally  for  illustration. 

This  plan  is  admirable  where  a  better  one  is  not 
practicable.  It  may  be  relied  on  with  grace  to 
turn  out  good  Christians.  But  here  in  America 
we  need  something  more — we  need  our  people  to 
be  as  intelligent  as  they  are  good,  to  know  their 
religion  as  thoroughly  as  they  practice  it,  to  be 
able  to  convince  others  as  fully  as  they  are  con- 
vinced themselves  of  its  reasonableness,  its  truth, 
its  divinity.  Our  people,  with  their  lot  cast  in  the 
midst  of  error  and  unbelief,  must  be  accustomed 
to  see  in  their  religion  a  distinct  form  of  life,  di- 
vinely superadded  to  their  natural,  rational  life; 


86  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

they  must  be  accustomed  to  regard  it  as  a  gift  be- 
yond all  price,  conditioned  by  their  appreciating, 
safeguarding  and  developing  it.  Now,  they  have 
it  dinned  into  their  ears  daily,  that  it  is  but  a 
chimera,  a  dream,  a  human  invention.  What  are 
we  to  do?  Doubt  its  reality?  Certainly  not;  the 
grace  of  faith  makes  us  shrink  from  doubt  as  trea- 
son. Close  our  ears  to  those  who  would  rob  us  of 
it  ?  It  is  impossible :  their  voice  is  in  the  books  we 
read,  the  society  around  us,  the  spirit  of  the  time, 
the  very  air  we  breathe.  What,  then,  are  we  to 
do?  Simply  what  we  would  do  with  a  gold  piece 
which  some  one  would  snatch  from  us.  We  tighten 
our  hold  on  it;  we  defend  it;  we  secure  it.  In 
other  words,  we  think  of  what  the  Christian  life 
is  to  us,  what  it  has  done  f©r  us,  what  we  should 
have  been  without  it,  what  it  promises  to  do  for 
us.  Then  we  strengthen  our  belief  in  it  and  our 
appreciation  of  it,  by  reviewing  in  a  spirit  of  loy- 
alty and  gratitude  the  foundations  of  our  faith; 
and,  convinced  of  their  impregnable  strength  and 
equipped  with  ample  knowledge,  we  are  prepared 
to  lend  a  helping  hand  to  earnest  seekers,  to  bring 


GRADATION  OF  CLASSES  87 

them  into  the  light  and  life  which  we  ourselves  pos- 
sess. 

This  fuller  knowledge  of  religion  has  been  al- 
ways inculcated  by  the  Church;  for  she  recognizes 
that  her  worst  enemy  has  ever  been  the  ignorance 
of  her  own  children.  It  has  been  always  incul- 
cated; but  modern  conditions  of  social  life,  espe- 
cially in  this  country,  make  the  acquisition  of  such 
knowledge  an  imperative  duty  of  Catholics  in  our 
day.  How  is  it  to  be  acquired?  Let  adults  con- 
sult their  conscience  and  their  pastor;  but  the 
young — the  rising  generation — can  acquire  it  only 
in  the  Catholic  school  or,  where  there  is  none,  in 
the  Catholic  Sunday  School. 

As  the  knowledge  I  speak  of  consists  of  a  variety 
of  subjects  adapted  to  children  from  their  sixth 
to  their  sixteenth  year,  it  is  evident  that  the  course 
must  be  graded,  and  that  the  pastor  must  depend 
largely  on  lay  help.  No  one  instruction,  no  matter 
how  simple,  can  be  made  equally  intelligible  and 
interesting  to  all  children.  They  must  be  divided 
into  classes,  and  the  teaching  must  be  so  graded, 
that  the  knowledge  imparted  in  one  will  be  con- 
tinued, amplified  and  added  to  in  the  next.     In 


88  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

this  way,  step  by  step,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  and 
year  by  year,  the  divine  plan  of  Creation,  Re- 
demption, grace  and  salvation  will  be  unfolded 
to  the  child,  not  as  a  dead  page  of  human  history, 
but  as  a  present,  living  reality,  touching  each  one 's 
life,  wound  up  with  each  one's  eternal  destiny, 
and  appealing  to  each  one's  conscience  for  its  up- 
lifting and  guidance. 

From  this  course  of  instruction,  education,  and 
training  in  religion,  the  Church,  expects,  through 
divine  grace,  a  renewal  of  the  face  of  the  earth, — 
a  stirring,  an  awakening,  an  energizing  of  Chris- 
tian life,  as  if  the  souls  of  men  were  again  agitated 
and  fired  by  the  rushing  wind  and  the  tongues  of 
flame  of  the  first  Pentecost. 

We  shall  follow  the  usual  division  of  the  Sunday 
School  into  five  classes  or  grades :  the  Prayer  class ; 
the  Confession  class;  the  Communion  class;  the 
Confirmation  class;  and  the  Perseverance  class. 
Each  of  these  is  divided  according  to  sex,  and 
therefore  requires  two  teachers.  If  the  attendance 
be  very  large,  there  should  be  corresponding  sub- 
divisions, as  not  more  than  ten  or  twelve  children 
can  be  well  taught  by  one  person.    Usually,  how- 


GRADATICm  OF  CLASSES  89 

ever,  where  the  attendance  exceeds  a  hundred, 
there  is  a  parochial  school,  and  its  grades  are  re- 
tained in  the  Sunday  School. 


CHAPTER  XII 

THE   PRAYER    CLASS 

In  this  class  are  placed  all  children  who  cannot 
read  the  catechism,  and  who  in  consequence  have 
to  be  taught  orally.  They  are  mostly  under  seven 
years  of  age,  and  they  know  their  prayers  very  im- 
perfectly, if  they  know  them  at  all. 

They  know  a  multitude  of  miscellaneous  things, 
which  they  have  grouped  under  two  distinct 
heads:  things  they  like,  and  things  they  dis- 
like. They  learn  eagerly  and  rapidly,  but  only  in 
their  own  way — through  the  senses ;  and  unless  they 
be  taught  in  this,  way,  the  little  they  learn  in  any 
other  will  be  generally  classed  by  them  under  the 
head  of  their  dislikes. 

Yet  they  make  one  exception — a  most  important 
one  for  the  teacher  to  bear  in  mind:  when  they 
come  to  love  him,  they  will  try  their  best  to  learn 
whatever  he  teaches  and  to  love  whatever  he  loves 
or  asks  them  to  love.     He  is  thus  enabled  to  do  a 

90 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  91 

vast  deal  more  by  influence  than  he  could  ever  hope 
to  do  by  mere  words. 

They  have  a  very  limited  vocabulary ;  and,  what 
is  worse  for  the  teacher,  it  is  by  no  means  the 
same  in  all.  Besides,  it  is  extremely  difficult  for 
grown  up  people  to  see  objects  flushed  with  deep 
emotional  coloring,  as  they  are  seen  and  felt  by 
children.  Still,  you  must  get  over  the  difficulty 
as  best  you  can;  for  they  are  disappointed  and 
will  shut  you  out  from  their  confidence  and  love, 
if  you  do  not  share  in  their  vivid  estimate  of 
things, 

A  few  other  peculiarities  of  theirs  may  be 
grouped  together,  as  they  are  intimately  connected. 
These  are,  their  restlessness,  their  love  of  variety, 
and  their  short-lived  interest  in  things  brought 
under  their  notice.  All  these  characteristics  must 
be  carefully  noted  and  turned  to  account,  in  deal- 
ing with  children  generally,  or  the  work  done  in 
any  class  will  be  more  or  less  unsatisfactory;  but 
in  the  Prayer  class,  it  will  border  on  failure. 

Let  the  teacher  introduce  all  the  orderly  move- 
ment he  can  into  the  children's  work.  Let  him 
seem  not  to  observe  any  restlessness  of  hands,  feet, 


92  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

tongues  or  eyes  that  does  not  interfere  with  others. 
Above  all,  let  him  vary,  every  two  or  three  min- 
utes, the  subject  taught.  A  picture  is  shown,  ex- 
amined, and  described;  easy  questions  are  asked 
about  it ;  a  short  Bible  story,  full  of  life  and  color, 
is  told;  some  one  is  invited  to  repeat  it;  all  stand 
up  and  with  joined  hands  recite  a  little  prayer  or 
one  of  the  acts  in  common;  a  verse  of  a  hymn  is 
memorized;  a  question  in  the  Catechism  is  ex- 
plained; then  there  is  a  practice  in  genuflection, 
the  Sign  of  the  Cross,  etc.,  and  the  same  varied  ex- 
ercises are  gone  over  again. 

Were  it  not  for  the  disturbance  of  the  other 
classes,  I  would  have  as  much  as  possible  of  the 
work  done  by  singing.  But  the  airs  sung  should 
be  simple  and  lively,  and  the  words  intelligible  and 
interesting.  And,  next  to  music,  I  would  teach 
this  class  (and  others  too),  as  much  of  their  re- 
ligion in  rhymed  verse  as  I  possibly  could.  Such 
verse  is  easily  committed  to  memory,  and  is  much 
less  liable  than  prose  to  be  forgotten  in  after  years. 
The  catechism  in  verse  would  be  a  great  boon  to 
the  Sunday  School. 

And  now  for  the  teaching.     If  you  are  wise, 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  93 

you  will  propose  to  teach  nothing.  You  will  sim- 
ply promise  your  little  ones  to  give  them  a  ''good 
time"  by  showing  them  beautiful  pictures  and 
telling  them  pretty  stories ;  and  you  will  keep  your 
word  faithfully.  The  reason  is,  that  they  dislike 
the  idea  of  serious  work;  and  if  under  the  form 
of  play  or  any  other  form  they  like,  the  serious 
work  be  done  by  them,  there  is  no  necessity  for 
giving  it  an  obnoxious  name.  They  shall  be 
brought  soon  enough  face  to  face  with  work  as 
work:  let  them  while  they  can,  do  it  as  play. 

The  work  generally  mapped  out  for  them  is,  to 
memorize  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the  Angelical  Salu- 
tation, the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Acts,  grace  before 
and  after  meals,  and  a  few  lessons  in  the  catechism. 
Furthermore,  they  are  to  learn  how  to  bless  them- 
selves, genuflect  and  take  Holy  Water  devoutly. 

But  it  is  not  the  memorizing  of  prayers  or  the 
performance  of  devotional  acts  that  a  teacher 
should  set  before  himself  primarily  in  this  class. 
The  essential  work  to  be  done  is  to  give  the  child 
an  idea  of  prayer,  a  love  of  prayer,  and  a  desire 
to  practise  prayer.  Then  before  teaching  any  set 
form  of  words,  the  child  must  be  told  what  the 


94  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

words  mean,  to  whom  they  are  addressed,  why  we 
are  to  pray  to  Him,  who  composed  the  words.  It 
is  a  beautiful  arrangement  of  Divine  Love,  that 
prayer,  the  most  necessary  act  of  religion,  can  be 
understood  and  loved  and  practised  as  easily  by 
a  little  child  as  by  one  of  the  saints.  For  what 
is  it  but  speaking  with  our  Father?  It  matters 
little  what  we  say  to  Him,  or  where  or  how  we  say 
it.  All  He  wants  is  our  presence  before  Him,  and 
the  pouring  out  of  our  thoughts  and  wishes,  and 
the  confidence  that  we  shall  be  heard  and  an- 
swered. 

So,  too,  before  showing  how  the  sign  of  the  Cross 
is  to  be  made,  the  teacher  must  tell  what  it  sig- 
nifies, what  intention  is  to  be  had  in  making  it, 
why  and  how  often  it  should  be  made.  And  sim- 
ilar instructions  are  to  be  given  in  regard  to  all 
other  pious  practices — genuflection,  kneeling,  tak- 
ing Holy  Water,  etc.  All  this,  I  repeat,  has  to 
be  done,  not  as  a  preliminary  to  the  memory  work, 
but  as  the  work  of  the  class,  to  which  everything 
else  is  secondary.  So  much  am  I  convinced  of 
this,  that  I  think  it  would  be  advisable  to  have  no 
formal  prayers  at  all  learned  by  rote  for  the  first 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  95 

term.  There  really  is  little  or  no  learning  in  the 
process;  and  as  for  the  prayer  in  it — why,  one 
hearty  "Thank  God"  would  be  worth  it  all. 

I  have  said  that  ''the  essential  work  to  be  done 
is  to  give  the  child  an  idea  of  prayer,  a  love  of 
prayer,  and  a  desire  to  practise  prayer."  To  say 
formally  that  you  are  aiming  at  this  result,  is 
neither  necessary  nor  expedient.  The  aim  must  be 
"a  working  idea"  in  the  teacher's  mind,  resulting 
in  the  mind  of  the  child  in  an  unconscious  growth. 
We  do  not  tell  young  people  that  candy  is  sweet, 
nor  do  we  bid  them  eat  it.  We  give  it  to  them, 
and  they  do  the  rest.  Let  us  give  them  God  by 
showing  them  His  love  and  power  and  interest  in 
them,  by  abundance  of  Bible  stories;  and  they 
will  go  to  Him  almost  spontaneously. — They  will 
pray  without  knowing  it. 

Let  us  give  them  Bible  stories  as  stories,  not  as 
illustrations  of  moral  lessons.  The  stories,  if  wisely 
selected,  will,  with  the  help  of  a  word  or  two, 
point  their  own  moral.  We  should  take  for  this 
class  chiefly  examples  of  the  loving  Goodness  and 
the  infinite  Power  of  God.     The  terrible  punish- 


96  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

ments  inflicted  on  sin  should  at  most  be  glanced 
at,  as  they  do  not  bear  on  the  end  in  view. 

The  prayers,  acts,  and  some  few  lessons  of  the 
catechism  have  to  be  memorized ;  but  let  the  memo- 
rizing be,  as  much  as  possible,  a  labor  of  love.  Ex- 
plain the  petition  before  you  use  the  formal  words 
that  contain  it.  For  example:  ''Once  on  a  time 
a  child  knew  that  its  father  had  wicked  enemies. 
It  saw  that  he  was  very  sad;  so  it  climbed  on  his 
knee  and  pulled  away  his  hands  from  his  face ;  and 
whispered  to  him :  * '  Papa,  I  wish  that  people  would 
be  good  to  you  and  love  you. ' '  This  is  what  we  say 
to  God  when  we  repeat  the  words:  "Hallowed  be 
Thy  name." 

At  the  end  of  the  two  years  occupied  in  this 
class,  besides  the  knowledge,  love  and  practice  of 
prayer,  suited  to  their  years,  the  children  may 
be  expected  to  be  able  to  relate  several  stories  from 
the  old  Testament,  and  in  the  New,  all  about  the 
Birth  and  Childhood  of  our  Divine  Lord  as  well  as 
many  of  His  miracles  and  parables.  They  will  also 
have  memorized,  but  not  mechanically,  the  prayers 
and  acts  already  mentioned  and  also  some  simple 
hymns.    (In  this   and   the   other   classes,   teachers 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  97 

should  insist  on  proper  articulation,  pronunciation, 
and  emphasis.) 

Frequent  repetition  and  frequent  questioning 
are  necessary  in  all  the  classes,  but  particularly  in 
this,  on  account  of  the  inability  of  such  young 
children  to  keep  their  minds  fixed  on  any  lengthy 
explanation. 

"When  they  come  to  memorize  the  Angelical  Sal- 
utation, they  should  be  taught  and  trained  in  a 
solid,  tender  devotion  to  our  Blessed  Lady.  The 
director  will  see  that  growth  in  this  devotion  be  a 
marked  feature  of  the  entire  school. 

Finally,  the  best  teacher  should  be  selected  for 
this  class — one  who  is  able  and  willing  to  become  a 
child  with  children. 

I  will  now  give  in  detail  the  work  to  be  done  in 
this  class.  The  director  will  arrange  it  in  what- 
ever order  he  thinks  best.  He  may  consider  the 
matter  too  much  for  the  little  ones ;  but  the  amount 
is  of  slight  importance,  compared  with  the  thor- 
oughness of  the  work ;  and  this  depends  largely  on 
repetition. 

The  time  to  be  allotted  to  it  is  two  years.  These 
are  divided  into  four  terms,  or  sessions,  with  a  min- 


98  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

imum  of  twenty  Sundays  each,  making  eighty 
Sunday  in  all. 

The  special  end  of  the  class  is  to  be  kept  in 
mind,  as  the  teacher's  *' working  idea." — It  is  the 
love  of  prayer. 

The  work  of  the  class  will  be  done  under  the 
following  heads:  I.  Knowledge  of  religion;  II. 
Love  of  religion  (prayer)  ;  III.  Practice  of  reli- 
gion. 

I.  Knowledge  of  religion.  This  will  include 
(1)  Bible  history,  (2)  prayers,  (3)  hymns  (4) 
catechism,  (5)   Church  history,  and  (6)  liturgy. 

I.      BIBLE    HISTORY 

This  is  to  be  taught  in  stories,  in  which  God  is  to 
be  the  central  figure.  Those  revealing  His  Infinite 
Power  and  Goodness  are  to  be  preferred.  No 
dates  are  to  be  given,  and  but  few  proper  names 
introduced.  Each  story  should  be  illustrated  by  a 
picture,  and  should  be  repeated  by  the  children, 
at  least  twice.  Of  course,  the  teacher  may  intro- 
duce other  anecdotes  into  the  lesson — the  more  the 
better;  but  the  Bible  story  is  to  stand  out  as  a 
special  feature  of  the  day's  lesson.     It  should  be 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS 


99 


either  read  from  the  Bible  or  given  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  Bible  words. 

The  following  list  of  subjects  is  merely  tenta- 
tive. 


1. 

Creation. 

Genesis,  I. 

2. 

Paradise,  Adam  and  Eve. 

II,  8-25. 

3. 

The  Fall. 

III. 

4. 

The  Deluge. 

VL.VIL.VIII. 

5. 

The  Tower  of  Babel. 

XI.,    1-9. 

6. 

Sodom  and  Gomorrha. 

XIX.,  10-29. 

7. 

The  Ten  Plagues. 
(Selections.) 

Exodus,  VII.  to  XII. 

8. 

Passage     through      the      Red 
Sea. 

XIV. 

9. 

The  Manna. 

XVI. 

10. 

The   Ten  Commandments. 

"       XIX.,  XX. 

11. 

Passage    of   the   Jordan, 

Josue,  III. 

12. 

Fall   of   Jericho. 

VI. 

13. 

David  and  Goliath. 

I.  Kings,  XVIL 

14. 

The  Temple. 

III.       "      VI.,  VIIL 

15. 

Elias  and  the  false  Prophets. 

III.       "      XVIIL 

16. 

The    Three    Children    in    the 
Fiery  Furnace. 

Daniel,  IIL 

17. 

The  Handwriting  on  the  Wall. 

V. 

18. 

Daniel  in  the  Lions'  Den. 

XIV. 

19. 

Death  of  Antiochus. 

I.     Machabees,  VI. 

20. 

The  Seven  Machabees. 

II.         "       VIL 

21. 

Annunciation  of  the  B.  V.  M. 

Luke,  I.,  26-38. 

22. 

Birth   of   Jesus   Christ. 

"    II.,   1-20. 

23. 

Presentation    in   the    Temple. 

"    II.,  21-39. 

24. 

Adoration  of  the  Magi. 

Math.,  II.,   1-12. 

25. 

Massacre  of  the  Innocents. 

"     II.,  13-23. 

26. 

Finding  of  Jesus  in  the  Tem- 
ple. 

Luke,  II.,  41-52. 

27. 

The  Wedding  at  Cana. 

John,  IL,  1-10. 

28. 

Draught  of  Fishes. 

Luke,  v.,  1-10. 

100  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

29.  The  Man  Sick  of  the  Palsy.  Matt.,  IX.,  1-7. 

SO.  Cure       of       the       Centurion's  "       VIII.,  5-13. 
Servant. 

31.  Raising   of   the   Widow's    Son.  Luke,  VII.,  11-16. 

32.  Miracle    at    the    Pond     Beth-  John,   V.,   1-15. 

saida. 

33.  The   Storm  Calmed.  Matt.,  VIII.,  23-27. 

34.  Cure     of     the     Daughter     of  "       IX.,  18-26. 

Jairus. 

35.  Miracle    of    the     Loaves     and  John,  VI.,  1-15. 

Fishes. 

36.  Jesus  Walks  Upon  the  Sea.  "       VI.,  16-21. 

37.  The  Woman  of  Canaan.  Matt.,  XV.,  22-28. 

38.  The  Deaf  Mute.  Mark,  VII.,  32-37. 

39.  The  Transfiguration.  Matt.,  XVII.,  1-9. 

40.  Parahle     of    the    Unforgiving  "       XVIII.,   23-35. 

Servant. 

41.  Parable   of   the   Good   Samari-  Luke,  X.,  30-37. 

tan. 

42.  Parable   of  the  Prodigal   Son.  "     XV.,  11-32. 

43.  Parable  of  Dives  and  Lazarus.  "     XVI.,   19-31. 

44.  Parable    of    the    Pharisee   and  "     XVIII.,    10-14. 

the  Publican. 

45.  Parable  of  the  Laborers.  Matt.,  XX.,  1-16. 

46.  Jesus'    Love    of    Little    Chil-  Luke,  XVIII.,   15-17. 

dren. 

47.  Raising  of  Lazarus.  John,  XL,  11-44. 

48.  Triumphal        Procession        of  Matt.,  XXL,  1-14. 

Jesus. 

49.  Parable      of      the      Marriage  "     XXII.,  1-14. 

Feast. 

50.  Parable     of     the     Wise     and  "     XXV.,  1-13. 

Foolish  Virgins. 

61.  Parable  of  the  Talents.  "     XXV.,  14-30. 

52.  Description  of  the  Last  Judg-  "     XXV.,  31-46. 

ment. 


THE  PKAYER  CLASS 


101 


53. 

Story   of   Judas. 

Matt.,  XXVI.,  47-50. 
"     XXVIL,   30. 

54. 

The  Agony  in  the  Garden. 

"     XXVL,  36-46. 

55. 

Denial  of  St.  Peter. 

"     XXVL,  69-75. 

56. 

The  Scourging  and   Crowning 

With  Thorns. 

"     XXVIL,  26-31. 

57. 

The  Crucifixion  and  Death. 

"     XXVIL,    31-60. 

58. 

The  Resurrection. 

"     XXVIIL,  1-10. 

59. 

The   Ascension. 

"     XXVIIL,  16-20. 

60. 

Descent  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

Acts,  II.,  1-11. 

61. 

Story  of  Ananias  and  Saphira. 

"     v.,  1-11. 

62. 

Conversion  of  St.  Paul. 

"     IX.,  1-20. 

63. 

St.      Peter      delivered      from 

Prison. 

"     XII.,  1-17. 

64. 

Voyage  and  Shipwreck  of  St. 

Paul. 

"     XXVIL 

65. 

Vision  of  the  Throne  of  God. 

Apoc,  IV. 

66. 

Vision  of  the  Blessed. 

"    VII. 

67. 

"The     Woman     clothed    with 

the  Sun." 

"    XIL 

68. 

"The   Great   White   Throne." 

"    XX.,  7-15. 

69. 

"  The  New  Jerusalem." 

"    XXL,  10-27. 

70. 

"  The  Tree  of  Life." 

"    XXIL,  1-7. 

71. 

Repeat  1  Creation. 

72. 

"       2  The   Fall. 

73. 

"     21  Annunciation  of  the 
B.  V.  M. 

74. 

"     22  Birth        of        Jesus 
Christ. 

75. 

"     46  Jesus'   Love    of   Lit- 
tle Children. 

76. 

"     54  The    Agony    in    the 
Garden. 

77. 

"     56  The    Scourging    and 
Crowning    with    Thorns. 

102  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

78.  Repeat  57  The  Crucifixion  and 

Death. 

79.  "     58  The   Resurrection. 

80.  "     59  The  Ascension. 

2.      PRAYERS 

The  prayers  to  be  explained  and  memorized  in 
this  class  are  the  Our  Father,  Hail  Mary,  I  be- 
lieve, Glory  be  to  the  Father,  grace  before  and 
after  meals,  and  short  acts  of  faith,  hope,  charity, 
and  contrition.  All  through  the  first  term,  let  the 
teacher  keep  impressing  on  the  child  what  prayer 
is — speaking  with  God,  who  is  our  Heavenly 
Father.  Let  short  improvised  prayers  be  sug- 
gested, such  as:  Our  Father  who  art  in  Heaven, 
bless  papa  and  mamma ;  bless  my  brothers  and  sis- 
ters; bless  our  pastor;  etc.  Then,  without  men- 
tioning the  ''Our  Father,"  let  each  of  the  seven 
petitions  be  suitably  explained  (one  at  a  time), 
and  embodied  in  a  little  prayer.  Lastly,  let  all 
the  prayers  be  understood  before  they  are  memo- 
rized ;  let  there  be  no  hurry  or  crowding ;  and,  above 
all,  see  that  the  child  grows  in  goodwill  and  inter- 
est for  what  it  is  taught. 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  103 


3,      HYMNS 


Four  hymns — the  first  two  stanzas  in  each — will 
be  sufficient  for  this  class.  Before  the  child  is 
permitted  to  sing  them,  they  are  to  be  explained 
and  memorized.  The  following  are  recommended 
for  their  simplicity  and  devotional  Spirit:  "What 
lovely  Infant  can  this  be?"  "Jesus,  teach  me 
how  to  pray;"  "There  is  one  true  and  only 
God;"    "My  God,  how  wonderful  Thou  art." 

4.      CATECHISM 

The  explanation  of  the  Creed  will  include  much 
catechetical  teaching.  Let  this  be  conveyed  in  the 
■words  of  the  catechism ;  and  let  those  words  be  re- 
peated by  the  child,  until  it  becomes  familiar  with 
them.  This  will  facilitate  the  memorizing  of  fu- 
ture lessons,  and  will  save  the  pupil  from  the  con- 
fusion of  different  forms  of  explanation. 

In  a  similar  way  will  be  taught  the  four  primary 
truths  of  religion :  the  Unity  of  God ;  the  Trinity 
of  God;  the  Incarnation  and  Death  of  the  Second 
Divine  Person;  Heaven  and  Hell. 

Finally,  the  Seven  Sacraments  and  the  Ten  Com- 


104  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

mandments  will  be  summarily  explained  and  mem- 
orized. 

After  the  first  year's  work  in  this  class,  the 
children  will  receive  some  simple  instructions  from 
the  pastor  on  Confession  and  the  method  of  pre- 
paring for  it  and  making  it.  It  is  best  that  those 
instructions  should  not  form  part  of  the  class- 
course.  They  are  not  in  a  line  with  it;  and  a  lay 
teacher  cannot  give  them  with  the  authority,  im- 
pressiveness  and  unction  of  the  divinely  appointed 
minister  of  the  Sacrament.  (Similar  preparatory 
instructions  will  be  given  to  the  Communion  and 
Confirmation  classes.) 

5.      CHURCH    HISTORY 

The  talks  under  this  head  can  be  made  most  in- 
teresting to  the  class;  but  they  must  be  very  ele- 
mentary, and  confined  chiefly  to  the  Church  of  our 
own  day. 

(a)  Tell  the  child  about  the  parish  or  mission 
in  which  you  teach — when  was  it  established?  who 
belong  to  it?  who  is  at  the  head  of  it?  who  else 
live  in  it  besides  Catholics?  how  is  a  Catholic 
known  from  a  non-Catholic  ? 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  105 

(b)  Tell  about  the  parish  church — its  object; 
when  people  are  obliged  to  attend  it;  what  they 
do  there;  what  you  see  in  it  (Cross,  candles,  pic- 
tures and  statues,  altar  and  tabernacle.) 

(c)  Who  is  the  pastor?  What  is  his  work? 
(Mass,  the  Sacraments,  preaching,  catechising, 
etc.) 

(d)  Several  parishes  joined  under  one  supe- 
rior or  head  is  called  a  diocese.  Name  of  this  dio- 
cese? When  established?  Who  is  the  bishop? 
What  are  his  duties? 

(e)  Are  there  parishes  and  dioceses  all  over  the 
world?  Have  they  bishops  at  the  head  of  them? 
Who  is  the  supreme  or  head  bishop  who  rules  all 
the  other  bishops  and  the  universal  Church  ?  Who 
was  the  first  pope?  By  whom  was  he  appointed? 
How  many  popes  have  there  been?  Who  is  the 
present  pope? 

6.      LITURGY 

(a)  Teach  how  to  make  the  sign  of  the  Cross, 
to  bow  the  head  at  the  Name  of  Jesus,  to  genuflect 
before  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  to  kneel  at  prayer, 
to  behave  in  church,  to  enter  and  leave  it,  to  take 


106  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

Holy  Water,  etc.     (This  teaching  is  to  be  com- 
bined with  training  and  practice.) 

(b)  Explain  the  purpose  of  every  sacred  ob- 
ject which  attracts  the  attention  of  the  child  in 
church. 

II.      LOVE  OF  RELIGION 

See  what  is  said  on  this  head  in  chapter  II. 

III.      TRAINING    IN    RELIGION 

(a)  Training  in  ritual  observances  (the  sign  of 
the  Cross,  genuflection,  etc.)  is  combined  with  the 
teaching  of  the  signification  of  those  actions  and 
the  dispositions  with  which  they  are  to  be  per- 
formed. 

(b)  Training  in  moral  duties  belongs  mostly  to 
parents  in  the  home.  The  "Daily  Practice"  will 
help  very  materially,  if  teachers  keep  urging  it 
Sunday  after  Sunday  and  the  child  be  reminded 
of  it  frequently  during  the  week.  Moreover,  much 
important  moral  training  can  be  accomplished  in 
class  by  insisting  on  mutual  kindness  and  courtesy, 
obedience,  truthfulness,  unselfishness,  etc. 

The  order  of  exercises,  then,  in  this  class  will  be : 
first,  repetition  of  last  Sunday  School  work;  and, 


THE  PRAYER  CLASS  107 

secondly,  Bible  story,  prayers,  hymn,  catechism, 
Church  history,  and  liturgy.  This  special  order 
is  not  essential;  but  if  adopted,  it  should  be  fol- 
lowed uniformly. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE    CONFESSION    CLASS 

At  the  beginning  of  this  and  succeeding  classes, 
at  least  a  month  ought  to  be  given  to  revision  of 
previous  work.  The  love  of  prayer  in  particular 
should  be  inculcated  and  strengthened  by  addi- 
tional motives  all  through  the  course. 

The  primary  aim  of  the  Confession  class  is  to 
impress  deeply  and  permanently  on  the  child's 
soul  a  great  horror  of  sin.  This  horror  will  pro- 
duce a  sincere  sorrow  for  past  transgressions  and 
a  fixed  determination  to  avoid  them  in  future. 
Moreover,  it  will  lead  the  child  to  study  and  use 
the  necessary  means  of  ridding  itself  at  once  of 
everything  in  its  soul  that  makes  God  seriously  dis- 
pleased with  it. 

The  work  occupies  two  years,  but  does  not  ter- 
minate in  a  formal  first  Confession.  This  is  made 
by  many  in  the  previous  class,  and  by  the  others 
toward  the  end  of  the  first  year  in  this  class.  Dur- 
108 


THE  CONFESSION  CLASS  109 

ing  the  time  that  remains,  the  children  are  prac- 
tised in  the  habit  of  confessing  regularly  and  fer- 
vently. Hence  the  work  consists  more  in  training 
them  in  the  proper  reception  of  the  Sacrament  of 
Penance  than  in  preparing  them  for  it. 

But  here  teachers  must  beware  of  a  fatal  mistake 
sometimes  unwittingly  committed.  Heart-felt  re- 
pentance of  sin,  as  the  primary  and  most  essen- 
tial disposition  for  the  Sacrament,  is  not  insisted 
on  as  earnestly  as  its  paramount  importance  de- 
mands. The  examination  of  conscience  and  the 
Confession  hold  the  largest  place  in  the  instruc- 
tions; and  the  consequence  is,  that  the  child  gives 
most  of  its  attention  to  them,  and  is  apt  to  content 
itself  with  very  doubtful  contrition.  And  the 
habit  of  doing  so  remains  in  after  life,  and  leads 
to  much  deplorable  abuse. 

I  would  advise,  therefore,  that  Confession  be  not 
mentioned  at  all,  until  the  nature,  necessity,  and 
conditions  of  Contrition  have  been  deeply  im- 
pressed on  the  young  soul.  Yet,  I  would  aim  at 
making  it,  more  a  slow  growth  in  the  child,  than  a 
temporary  mental  state — often  unreal  and  facti- 
tious— produced  by  direct  argument  and  persua- 


110  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

sion.     The  best  teaching  is  that  which  helps  the 
pupil  to  think  and  act  for  himself. 

The  understanding  and  memorizing  of  the  cate- 
chism will  be,  of  course,  the  fundamental  work  of 
the  class.  The  lessons  taught,  however,  will  be 
selected  and  arranged  with  a  view  to  the  primary- 
aim  in  the  teacher's  mind.  The  following  is  the 
order  I  would  suggest:  first,  lessons  one  to  eleven 
consecutively;  secondly,  lessons  twenty-nine  to 
thirty-seven  inclusive,  on  the  Commandments  of 
God  and  of  the  Church;  and,  thirdly,  lessons  thir- 
teen and  fourteen  and  seventeen  to  twenty-one,  on 
the  Sacraments  in  general.  Baptism  and  Penance. 
In  these  lessons,  the  class  will  learn  the  nature  and 
kinds  of  sin,  the  injury  and  ingratitude  of  it,  and 
the  Mercy  of  God,  who  instead  of  punishing  it  in 
us  as  He  did  in  the  angels,  sent  his  only  Son  into 
the  world  to  atone  for  it  and  supply  us  with  the 
means  by  which,  after  we  have  committed  it,  we 
may  be  restored  to  Divine  favor.  As  the  teacher 
will  constantly  keep  in  mind  the  primary  aim  of 
inspiring  a  great  horror  of  sin,  the  special  direction 
and  coloring  thus  given  to  each  lesson  will,  with 
God's  grace,  have  a  cumulative  effect  on  the  child's 


THE  CONFESSION  CLASS  111 

soul  of  turning  it  habitually  from  everything  se- 
riously displeasing  to  our  Heavenly  Father. 

It  may  be  thought  by  some,  that  it  is  inadvis- 
able to  direct  a  child's  mind  so  much  to  the  nature 
and  kinds  of  sin.  I  would  agree  with  them,  were 
there  a  question  of  giving  minute  details  of  sin  to 
which  children  are  liable  to  be  tempted,  particu- 
larly sin  against  the  Sixth  Commandment.  But 
such  details  are  never  given  in  the  Sunday  School. 
We  take  a  broad,  comprehensive  view  of  the  child's 
life.  We  know  its  awakening  passions,  its  future 
temptations,  its  struggles  and  dangers,  its  need  of 
forewarning  and  of  all  the  helps  and  safeguards 
on  which  its  safety  depends.  We  shall  not  have  it 
long  with  us.  In  a  few  years,  it  will  go  out  into 
the  world,  where  it  will  be  in  inevitable  contact 
with  sinful  influences  of  various  kinds.  We,  there- 
fore, think  it  right  and  necessary  to  give  it  such 
knowledge  and  hatred  of  sin  as  will  be  a  guide  and 
defense  in  the  hour  of  trial.  Indeed,  they  un- 
wisely minimize  the  ruinous  consequences  of  sin, 
who  blame  the  religious  teacher  for  seeking  to  pro- 
tect the  young  against  their  worst  enemy.  The 
false  sentimental  tenderness  that  would  keep  them 


112  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

in  ignorance  of  the  malice  of  sin  while  they  are 
committing  it,  is  akin  to  the  inhuman  folly  of 
leaving  a  man  to  sleep  in  a  poisonous  atmosphere, 
lest  awakening  him  should  cause  him  pain  or  dis- 
tress. 

The  explanation  of  every  lesson  should  be  di- 
rected to  bear  on  sin  and  its  malice.  An  example 
of  this  direction  may  be  taken  from  the  first  les- 
son. The  subject  is,  the  End  of  Man.  In  the 
course  of  the  lesson  we  are  told  that  man  is  made 
to  know,  love,  and  serve  God,  in  this  world,  and 
to  be  happy  with  Him  for  ever  in  the  next.  If  we 
neglect  to  learn  who  God  is,  we  commit  sin;  if  we 
do  not  love  God,  we  commit  sin ;  if  we  do  not  serve 
God,  by  doing  what  He  tells  us  to  do,  we  commit 
sin.  And  what  will  be  the  consequence?  God 
will  not  take  us  to  Heaven  to  be  happy  with  Him 
for  ever.  On  the  contrary,  He  will  cast  us  down 
into  a  dreadful  place  of  darkness  and  suffering, 
where  we  shall  be  for  ever  miserable. 

The  Bible  stories,  told  in  the  Prayer  class,  will 
be  retold  here  to  illustrate  God's  hatred  and  pun- 
ishment of  sin.  They  should  be  given  in  the  order 
of  their  occurrence;  but  any  of  them  that  relates 


THE  CONFESSION  CLASS  113 

specially  to  the  lesson  taught  should  be  repeated 
in  connection  with  it,  even  though  taken  out  of  its 
historical  order  or  told  already  in  a  previous  les- 
son. It  will  add  considerably  to  the  interest  of 
those  illustrations,  to  impress  on  the  children's 
minds  by  frequent  repetition  a  brief  outline  of 
Jewish  history  and  of  the  Life  of  our  Divine 
Lord. 

Illustrations  from  Church  history  will  be  sup- 
plied by  the  martyrs  who  suffered  death  for  con- 
science' sake,  the  many  great  saints  who  had  once 
been  great  sinners,  and  the  apostolic  missionaries 
whose  heroic  labors  had  for  object  the  destruction 
of  sin  by  the  spread  of  Christian  light.  The  lives 
of  some  child-saints  may  also  be  given. 

Finally,  it  will  help  much  to  bring  home  to  the 
class  the  malice  of  sin,  to  explain  the  penitential 
fasts  and  services  of  the  ecclesiastical  year — Ad- 
vent, Lent,  Ember  Days,  Vigils,  Friday  abstinence, 
Holy  "Week  services,  etc. 

The  following  schedule  will  be  a  guide  to  teach- 
ers in  the  preparation  of  the  lessons  to  be  taught  in 
this  course.  The  numbers  in  parentheses  refer  to 
the  list  of  Bible  stories  in  the  last  chapter. 


114 


THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


NO. 

LESSONS. 

QQ. 

ILLUSTB. 

1. 

I. 

1-e 

(1) 

(2) 

2. 

I. 

7-12 

(51) 

Cain      Gen.     IV. 

3. 

IL 

1-8 

(4) 

(5) 

4. 

III. 

1-6 

Sacr. 

of  Isaac.     Gen.  XXII. 

5. 

III. 

7-11 

(7) 

(8) 

6. 

IV. 

1-8 

(9) 

(10) 

7. 

V. 

1-6 

(2) 

(11)      (12) 

8. 

V. 

7-12 

(3) 
IV. 

(13)      (14) 

9. 

VI. 

1-9 

(15) 

(16) 

10. 

VII. 

1-6 

(21) 

(22) 

11. 

VIL 

7-12 

(23) 

(24) 

12. 

VIL 

13-18 

(25) 

(26) 

13. 

VIII. 

1-8 

(50) 

(57) 

14. 

VIII. 

9-16 

(58) 

(59) 

15. 

IX. 

1-8 

(GO) 

(61) 

16. 

X. 

1-6 

(17) 

(18) 

17. 

X. 

7-12 

(19) 

(20) 

18. 

xin. 

1-8 

(21) 

(22) 

19. 

XIIL 

9-16 

Baptism  of  Jesus.   Matt.  III. 

20. 

XIV. 

1-7 

(24) 

(25)       (8) 

21. 

XIV. 

8-14 

(26) 

(27) 

22. 

XVII. 

1-8 

Power 

of    Keys,    Jno.    XX. 

23. 

XVIIL 

1-7 

Power 

of  Keys,  Matt.  XVIII. 

24. 

XVIII. 

8-13 

(32) 

(33) 

25. 

XIX. 

1-8 

(42) 

(44) 

26. 

XIX. 

9-16 

(34) 

(35) 

27. 

XX. 

1-7 

(36) 

(37) 

28. 

XXI. 

1-7 

(38) 

(39) 

29. 

XXIX. 

1-5 

(X) 

(40) 

30. 

XXX. 

IS 

(41) 

(43) 

31. 

XXX. 

9-16 

(45) 

(46) 

32. 

XXXL 

1-7 

(47) 

(48) 

33. 

XXXI. 

8-14 

(49) 

(50) 

34. 

XXXII. 

1-8 

(51) 

(52) 

35. 

XXXII. 

9-16 

(53) 

(54) 

THE  CONFESSION  CLASS 


115 


NO. 

LESSONS. 

QQ. 

ILLUSTR. 

36. 

XXXIII. 

l-<) 

(55)      (56) 

37. 

XXXIII. 

7-1 

2        (57)      (58) 

38. 

XXXIV. 

1-8 

(59)      (60) 

39. 

XXXIV. 

9-16        (61)      (62) 

40. 

XXXV. 

1-8 

(63)      (64) 

41. 

XXXVI. 

1-11        (65)      (66) 

42. 

XXXVII. 

1-7 

(67)      (68) 

43. 

XXXVII. 

8-13        (69      (70) 

44. 

I. 

St. 

Mary  Magdalen,  July  22. 

45. 

II. 

St. 

Paul,  Jan.  25. 

46. 

III. 

St. 

Irenaeus,  June  28. 

47. 

IV. 

St. 

Thais,  Oct.  8. 

48. 

V. 

St. 

Augustine,  Aug.  28. 

49. 

VI. 

St. 

Mary  of  Egypt,  April  9. 

50. 

VII. 

St. 

Patrick,  March   17. 

51. 

VIII. 

St. 

Boniface,  June  5. 

52. 

IX. 

St. 

Bernard,  Aug.  20. 

53. 

X. 

St. 

Francis,  Oct.  4. 

54. 

XIII. 

St. 

Dominick,  Aug.  4. 

55. 

XIV. 

St. 

Margaret  of  Cortona,  Feb.  22. 

56. 

XVII. 

St. 

Ignatius,  July  31. 

57. 

XVIII. 

St. 

Aloysius,  June  21. 

58. 

XIX. 

St. 

Stanislaus,  Nov.  13. 

59. 

XX. 

St. 

Francis   Xavier,  Dec.   13. 

60. 

XXI. 

St. 

Lewis  Bertrand,  Oct,  9. 

61. 

XXIX. 

St. 

Vincent  de  Paul,  July  19. 

G2. 

XXX. 

St. 

Francis  de   Paul,  July   19. 

63. 

XXXI. 

St. 

Paul  of  the  Cross,  April  28. 

64. 

XXXII. 

Adi 

i'ent,  a  Time  of  Penance.  S 
John. 

65. 

XXXIII. 

Penitential  Vestments. 

66. 

XXXIV. 

Other      Symbols      of      Penance 

Liturgy. 

67. 

XXXV. 

Lenten  Fast. 

68. 

XXXVI. 

Ash  Wednesday. 

69. 

XXXVII. 

Pas 

ision  Sunday.  Veiling  of  Cru( 
fix.  etc. 

St. 


NO. 

LESSONS. 

70. 

VIII. 

71. 

IX. 

72. 

X. 

73. 

XIII. 

74. 

XIV. 

75. 

XVII. 

76. 

XVIII. 

77. 

XIX. 

78. 

XX. 

79. 

XXI. 

80. 

XXIX. 

116  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

QQ.  ILLUSTR. 

Palm    Sunday.     The   Procession. 

Office  of  Tenebrae. 

Holy  Thursday. 

Good  Friday. 

The  Holy  Sepulchre.     Collection. 

The    Seven    Dolors    of    our    Blessed 

Lady. 
Holy    Saturday. 
Ember  Days. 
Vigils. 

Friday    (and  Saturday)    Abstinence. 
Penance  in  the  early  Church. 

PRAYERS 

Those  learned  in  the  preceding  class  will  be  re- 
peated. Afterwards,  the  children  will  memorize 
those  sung  by  the  whole  school.  In  selecting  them, 
the  director  will  aim  at  preparing  a  choir  to  sing  at 
Mass  and  other  Church  offices. 

RAYERS 

The  Confiteor  and  the  longer  Acts  given  in  the 
Catechism  will  be  explained  and  memorized.  A 
few  short  ejaculatory  prayers  against  temptations 
will  also  be  suggested.  Overcrowding  the  young 
mind  with  prayers  must  be  avoided.  The  Our 
Father  should  be  so  explained,  that  the  child  will 
love  it  above  all  other  prayers. 


THE  CONFESSION  CLASS  117 

LOVE    AND    PRACTICE    OF    RELIGION 

The  love  of  freedom,  self-indulgence,  excitement, 
applause,  etc.,  which  every  healthy  child  develops, 
is  not  to  be  rooted  out  as  a  vice,  but  moderated  and 
directed  wisely  and  sympathetically,  so  that  it  may 
not  come  into  unpleasant  conflict  with  the  love  and 
practice  of  religion.  Go  a  certain  distance  with 
the  young  in  their  direction,  and  you  will  find  that 
they  will  go  a  long  way  with  you  in  attention,  re- 
sponsiveness, and  serious  effort  to  keep  their  man- 
ifold propensities  under  reasonable  control. 
Hence,  for  this  and  the  succeeding  classes,  I  would 
make  the  following  suggestions :  1.  Try  your  best 
to  feel  and  show  a  real  sympathy  with  children  in 
their  love  of  everything  that  is  not  sinful;  2.  Ex- 
plain to  them  simply  and  affectionately,  where  ex- 
cess begins,  and  why  it  is  forbidden;  3.  Blend  en- 
couragement with  correction ;  4.  Rather  than  over- 
work, bore,  or  alienate  your  class,  give  them  a 
holiday;  5.  You  will  inspire  love  of  religion  only 
to  the  extent  you  yourself  love  it. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE    COMMUNION    CLASS 

A  child  brings  to  this  class  a  love  of  prayer  and 
a  horror  for  sin.  These  two  habits  will,  with 
God's  blessing,  result  in  that  cleanness  of  heart 
to  which  the  vision  of  God  is  promised.  "Blessed 
are  the  clean  of  heart  for  they  shall  see  God." 
(Matt.  V.  8.)  The  vision  of  God  by  practical 
faith  is  realized  in  this  life  chiefly  by  the  know- 
ledge and  love  of  Jesus  Christ. 

The  sole  aim  of  the  Communion  class  will  be  to 
show  the  child  Jesus  Christ  and  bring  it  to  His 
Feet,  so  that  He  may  unite  Himself  with  it  in 
the  sacrament  of  His  Love — the  Most  Holy  Eu- 
charist. 

The  formal  work  of  the  class  will  consist  of  a 
review  of  the  catechism-lessons  already  learned, 
and  the  study  and  memorizing  of  those  that  re- 
main, especially  of  the  three  Eucharistic  lessons 
(22,  23,  24,).     The  review  and  study,  however, 

118 


THE  COMMUNION  CLASS  119 

will  be  made  from  a  special  standpoint,  namely, 
the  Love  of  Jesus  Christ  for  us  and  the  love  we 
owe  Him  in  return.  The  Creed,  the  Sacraments, 
the  Commandments  are  all  manifestations  of  the 
Divine  Love  of  Jesus  Christ  and  of  His  claims  on 
the  warmest  affection  of  our  hearts. 

1.  The  Creed.  Most  of  it  is  contained  in  les- 
sons one  to  twelve.  Faith  is  the  union  of  the  hu- 
man with  the  Divine  Intellect — the  outpouring  of 
the  latter  into  the  former,  according  to  its  capac- 
ity and  needs.  It  reveals  God  to  us  as  Infinite 
Love.  "God  is  charity."  This  is  the  one  key  to 
all  revealed  mysteries,  not  giving  us  comprehen- 
sion of  them,  indeed,  for  God  is  essentially  incom- 
prehensible to  the  creature ;  but  giving  us  con- 
tentment and  satisfaction  in  proportion  to  the 
depth  and  spirituality  of  our  faith. 

2.  The  commandments.  We  love  Jesus  Christ 
when  our  will  becomes  one  with  His,  when 
we  are  so  impressed  with  His  Beauty,  His  Good- 
nes.  His  Lovableness,  His  Wisdom  and  Sanctity, 
that  we  merge  our  life  in  His,  seeing  with  His 
Eyes,  thinking  with  His  Mind,  willing  with  His 
Will.     Now,  He  tells  us  Himself  that  His  will  is 


120  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

made  known  to  us  by  His  Commandments.  "He 
that  hath  My  Commandments,  and  keepeth 
them:  he  it  is  that  loveth  Me."  (John  xiv.  21.) 
So,  too,  the  Commandments  of  the  Church  are  as- 
sured manifestations  of  His  Will.  When  He  en- 
dowed His  apostles  with  power  to  teach  His  Gos- 
pel, He  said  to  them:  "He  that  heareth  you, 
heareth  Me :  and  he  that  despiseth  you,  despiseth 
Me."     (Luke  x.  16.) 

3.  The  Sacraments.  These  appeal  in  a  special 
manner  to  our  love.  Each  is  a  personal  contact 
of  Jesus  with  the  individual  soul;  it  is  a  grac- 
ious act  of  His,  done  to  that  one  particular  hu- 
man being,  for  his  sanctification  and  salvation;  it 
is  the  application,  by  Jesus  Christ  Himself,  of 
His  blood  to  that  one  individual,  out  of  the  whole 
human  race. 

Of  all  the  Sacraments,  the  Most  Holy  Eucharist 
will  receive  the  largest  and  most  earnest  atten- 
tion and  exposition  from  the  teacher.  The  three 
Catechism-lessons — 22,  23,  24 — give  an  admirable 
abstract  of  the  doctrine;  but  they  have  to  be  put 
in  concrete  form  and  supplemented  with  much 
oral  instruction.     Needless  to  say,  this  instruction 


THE  COMMUNION  CIMSS  121 

has  to  be  repeated  over  and  over,  and  the  children 
have  to  be  questioned  frequently  about  it.  The 
following  are  the  chief  points  to  be  impressed  on 
them, 

1.  Long  before  the  Son  of  God  became  Man, 
He  prepared  men  for  His  coming  by  giving  sev- 
eral intimations  of  what  He  was  to  be,  and  of  the 
manner  in  which  He  was  to  redeem  the  world. 
Some  He  gave  in  prophecies,  through  the  Holy 
Ghost;  others  He  gave  in  types.  (A  type  is  some 
historical  person  or  action  by  which  is  foreshad- 
owed something  in  the  future,  to  which  it  bears 
an  analogy.) 

2.  As  the  Most  Holy  Eucharist  is  the  culmi- 
nating point  of  our  Redemption,  and  a  mystery 
most  difficult  of  belief,  the  Son  of  God  has  given 
us  several  types  of  it,  the  chief  of  which  are :  the 
sacrifice  of  Melchisedech,  the  Loaves  of  Proposi- 
tion, the  Manna,  the  Hearthcake,  and  especially 
the  Paschal  Lamb. 

3.  During  His  Public  Life,  Jesus  Christ  per- 
formed some  miracles,  by  which  men 's  minds  were 
prepared  to  accept  His  revelation  of  this  divine 
gift.    Among  them  were  His  changing  water  into 


122  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

wine,  and  His  multiplication  of  the  loaves   and 
fishes. 

4.  About  a  year  before  His  Death,  He  clearly 
and  emphatically  promised  to  give  His  Flesh  and 
Blood  for  the  life  of  the  world.  (Children  should 
memorize  verses  forty-eight  to  sixty  of  the  sixth 
chapter  of  St.  John,  in  which  are  given  the  words 
of  promise.) 

5.  The  night  before  His  Death,  He  fulfilled 
His  promise  by  changing  bread  and  wine  into  His 
Body  and  Blood,  which  He  gave  to  His  disciples. 
He  then  told  them  to  do  the  same  in  memory  of 
Him. 

6.  This  is  what  every  Catholic  priest  does,  when 
he  celebrates  Mass  and  distributes  the  Most  Holy 
Communion  to  the  people. 

7.  But  the  Blessed  Eucharist  was  to  be  more 
than  a  sacrament  by  which  the  souls  of  the  faith- 
ful were  to  be  nourished.  It  was  instituted  pri- 
marily as  a  sacrifice,  commemorating  and  renew- 
ing the  sacrifice  of  Calvary,  without,  however,  the 
shedding  of  blood. 

8.  The  inventive  love  revealed  in  the  doctrine 
of  the  Mass  could  be  conceived  only  in  the  Heart 


THE  COMMUNION  CLASS  123 

of  an  Incarnate  God.    He  desired  to  stay  with  us 
to  the  end  of    time;  and  He  desired  to  keep  His 
Death,  before   our  minds   as  a  fresh,   energizing, 
love-inspiring  fact.     Yet  it  was  decreed  that  He 
should  ascend  into  Heaven,  clothed  in  His  glori- 
fied human  nature.     By  the  exercise  of  His  Di- 
vine Power,  He  has  reconciled  these  two — His  de- 
sire to  stay  and  the  decree  to  go.     He  has  multi- 
plied His  Sacred  Humanity;  so  that,  while  seated 
at  the  right  hand  of  His  Father,  He  is  still  with  us 
under  the  white  veil.     Every  day,   all  over  the 
earth.  He  renews  the  Sacrifice  of  Calvary,  by  His 
Real  Presence,  by  the  apparent  separation  of  His 
Body  and  Blood,  and  by  His  making  the  same 
offering   of   Himself   on   the    altar   before   which 
we  kneel,  as  He  made  on  the  Cross  on  which  He 
died. 

9.  The  Sacrifice  of  the  Mass  was  instituted 
and  first  offered  by  Jesus  Christ  at  the  Last  Sup- 
per. The  liturgical  form,  as  given  by  three  of  the 
evangelists  and  St.  Paul,  was  extremely  simple, 
as  became  the  occasion,  the  High  Priest,  and  the 
participants.  Round  this  simple  form,  in  course 
of  time,  under  the  direction  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 


124  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

various  symbolical  ceremonies  have  been  entwined, 
the  understanding  of  which  not  only  instructs  the 
faithful  in  the  nature  and  effects  of  the  Sacrifice, 
but  inspires  ardent  devotion  toward  it  and  pre- 
pares for  worthy  participation  in  it.  And  yet  we 
should  guard  scrupulously  against  the  danger  of 
losing  sight  of  the  end  and  purpose  of  those  cer- 
emonies, and  of  allowing  their  wealth  of  ritual 
significance  to  shut  out  the  central  idea  of  the 
Mass — Jesus  Christ  offering  Himself  to  His  Father 
for  us,  while  He  gives  us  His  Flesh  for  our  souls' 
food  and  a  pledge  of  our  future  glory. 

The  object  aimed  at  in  this  class — the  knowl- 
edge and  love  of  Jesus  Christ — is  not  to  be  at- 
tained by  direct  exhortation  or  appeal.  Very  little 
of  this  is  to  be  employed;  otherwise,  the  result 
will  be  a  factitious,  evanescent  sentiment,  fol- 
lowed by  discouragement  and  reaction.  Let  the 
truths  by  which  the  child's  will  is  to  be  influenced, 
be  vividly  and  emotionally  presented  and  their 
bearing  on  conduct  briefly  pointed  out. — Grace 
will  do  the  rest.  The  fervor  of  First  Communi- 
cants is  very  interesting  and  consoling;  but  it  is 
not  the  end  of  our  teaching.    What  we  aim  at  is  a 


THE  COMMUNION  CLASS  125 

fervor  with  "staying  power"  in  it — a  fervor,  not 
like  a  cut-flower,  withering  in  a  day  or  two,  but, 
like  a  healthy  young  plant,  growing  out  of  a 
deeply-rooted  love  of  Jesus.  Such  fervor  as  this 
is  the  product  of  divine  grace,  directing  the  under- 
current of  thought  and  feeling  and  desire  in  the 
child's  soul. 

To  excite  admiration  for  the  character  of  our 
Divine  Lord,  the  teacher  will,  from  time  to  time, 
give  incidents  of  His  Life  revealing  the  following 
features:  His  gentleness  and  strength;  His  tender 
compassion  for  pain  and  suffering;  His  unselfish- 
ness; His  untiring  labors;  His  unbounded  mercy 
for  sinners;  His  casting  His  lot  voluntarily  among 
the  poor;  His  life-long  devotion  to  the  uplifting 
and  salvation  of  our  race;  His  patient  endurance 
of  wrong;  His  calm  courage  in  facing  disgrace 
and  death,  etc. 

The  children  ought  to  be  reminded  often  of  what 
they  learned  in  the  preceding  classes  about  prayer 
and  the  horror  of  sin.  To  other  motives  already 
given  for  this  last,  will  now  be  added  the  supreme 
motive  of  love.  "Jesus  Christ  is  too  lovable,  too 
good  in  Himself  and  too  good  to  me,  to  be  ever 


126  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

again  offended  grievously  by  me."  To  make  this 
truth  a  working  principle  in  the  child's  life,  the 
Morning  Offering  should  include  an  explicit  resolu- 
tion of  doing  all  the  actions  of  the  day  for  the 
love  of  our  Divine  Lord.  As  there  is  danger  that 
this  offering  may  lead  young  people  to  excessive 
introspection  and  self-examination,  it  should  be 
explained,  that  all  it  demands  of  them  at  present 
is  careful  avoidance  of  sin  and  a  bright,  genial, 
kindly  disposition. 

As  a  remote  preparation  for  their  First  Holy 
Communion,  the  class  should  be  trained  in  the  fol- 
lowing practices:  1.  To  come  to  church  gladly, 
recalling  to  mind  the  kindly  welcome  they  will 
receive  from  their  best  Friend,  Jesus;  2.  On  en- 
tering the  church,  to  accustom  themselves  to  think 
and  feel:  ''I  am  now  in  the  presence  of  my  God 
and  Saviour.  From  behind  the  white  veil,  He  sees 
me  and  He  loves  me";  3.  To  take  Holy  Water 
with  some  such  prayer  as  this :  *  *  My  Jesus,  cleanse 
me  from  all  my  sins,  that  I  may  speak  to  Thee 
with  pure  lips  from  a  clean  heart";  4.  Not  to 
genuflect  mechanically  before  the  Tabernacle,  but 
while  bending  the  knee  to  the  ground  to  say  in 


THE  COMMUNION  CLASS  127 

their  hearts:  "My  Jesus,  I  believe  in  Thee;  I 
adore  Thee;  I  love  Thee";  5.  On  going  to  their 
places,  to  kneel  down  and  say  a  short  prayer;  6. 
Finally,  to  keep  in  mind  during  Sunday  School, 
how  pleased  their  best  Friend  will  be  with  them, 
if  He  sees  that  they  try  hard  to  be  obedient,  to  at- 
tend, and  to  learn. 

A  few  words  may  be  said  here  about  long  de- 
votional practices  sometimes  imposed  on  children 
in  this  class.  I  consider  them  inadvisable.  They 
are  uncongenial  to  children,  and  frequently  pre- 
judice them  against  religion.  They  make  **  good- 
ness" appear  dreary  and  unlavable.  They  have 
little  merit  on  account  of  being  compulsory  and 
mechanical.  They  are  generally  unintelligible, 
and  no  sufficient  motive  is  given  for  practising 
them.  Hence,  there  is  no  training  in  them;  and 
children  are  no  more  disposed  to  continue  them  on 
leaving  school,  than  a  released  prisoner  is  dis- 
posed to  continue  working  on  a  treadmill. 

Yet  we  must  not  wholly  conceal  from  the  child 
the  austere  side  of  Christian  life ;  on  the  contrary, 
we  are  bound  to  train  it  in  self-repression  and  in 
the    patient    doing    or    bearing    of    disagreeable 


128  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

things  for  conscience'  sake.  This,  however,  has  to 
be  accomplished  slowly,  tactfully,  judiciously. 
Parents  do  not  exact  a  full  day's  work  of  their 
young  children.  Light  jobs,  with  intervals  for  rest 
or  play,  approval  or  praise  for  honest  effort,  oc- 
casional rewards,  over-zeal  checked,  neglect  or 
carelessness  corrected, — in  this  way,  the  younger 
members  of  the  family  are  exercised  and  prepared 
to  do  a  day's  work.  And  when  they  grow  up, 
they  take  a  manly  pride  in  doing  it,  which  they 
would  not  take  five  years  ago,  when  it  was  be- 
yond their  strength.  Let  us,  then,  take  a  lesson 
from  the  home,  and  not  impose  on  little  children 
devotional  exercises  which  we  could  scarcely  in- 
duce adult  Christians  to  perform. 

SCHEDULE  OF  COMMUNION-CLASS  WORK 
(The  illustrations  will  be   found   explained  in 
Rev.  A.  Urban 's  "Teacher's  Handbook  to  Bible 
History".) 

A.     GOD'S  LOVE  OF  US 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

Creation.     Endowments. 

The  Earthly  Paradise.     Heaven. 

The  Promise  of  a  Redeemer. 


NO. 

LESSON. 

1. 

I. 

2. 

IL 

3. 

III. 

THE  COMMUNION  CLASS 


129 


NO. 

4. 
5. 


7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 

12. 
13. 
14. 
15. 
16. 
17. 
18. 
19. 
20. 
21. 
22. 
23. 
24. 
25. 
26. 

27. 
28. 
29. 
30. 


LESSONS.  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

IV.  God's  Patience  with  Sinners. 

V.  The   Ark.     The   Rainbow. 

VI.  Call    of    Abraham.     Promise.     Mel- 

chisedech. 

VII.  Moses   the   Deliverer. 

VIII.  The   Paschal   Lamb. 

IX.  Passage  of  the  Red  Sea. 

X.  The  Manna. 

XIII.  Mt.    Sinai   and   the   Ten   Command- 

ments. 

XIV.  Entrance   into   the   Promised   Land. 
XVn.  Gideon. 

XVIII.  Sampson. 

XIX.  Samuel. 

XX.  Saul. 

XXI.  David. 

XXIX.  Solomon. 

XXX.  The  Temple. 

XXXL  Elias. 

XXXIL  Eliseus. 

XXXIII.  Jonas. 

XXXIV.  Tobias. 
XXXV.  Isaias. 

XXXVI.  Jeremias. 

XXXVII.  Ezechiel's    Vision    of   the    Resurrec- 
tion. 

XL  Daniel. 

XIL  Eleazar. 

XV.  The  Seven  Machabees. 

XVI.  Judas  Machabeus. 


B.  WHY  WE  SHOULD  LOVE  JESUS  CHRIST 

31.  XXII.         Being  God,  He  became  Man  for  us. 

32.  XXII.         He   was  born  in  poverty  for  us. 

33.  XXIII.         He   was    persecuted   for   us.     Flight 

into   Egypt. 


130 


THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

He    led    a    humble,    laborious    life 

for  us. 
He  loves  children. 
All  powerful,  He  walks  on  the  sea. 
"         "     He  calms  the  storm. 
"         "     He  raises   the   dead  to 

life. 
"         "     He  rises  from  the  dead. 
"         "     He         ascends         into 
Heaven. 
All  merciful,  He  pardons  the  sinful 
woman. 
"         "     He  pardons  Mary  Mag- 
dalen. 
"         "     He    pardons    His    ene- 
mies from  the  Cross. 
"         "     He  pardons  the  apostle 

who  denied  Him. 
"         "     He  promises  Heaven  to 
the  penitent  thief. 
All    tender-hearted,    He    revives    a 
dead   child. 
"  "        He    cures    the 

ten  lepers. 
"  "       He  cures  a  man 

born  blind. 
"  "       He       cures       a 

child  possessed. 
*•  "       He     feeds     the 

multitude  by  mir- 
acle. 


C.  THE  GREATEST  PROOF  OF  HIS  LOVE 

51.  XI.         His  Agony  and   Sweat  of  Blood. 

52.  XII.         He   is   seized   and   bound. 

53.  XIII.         He  is   betrayed   by  one   apostle  and 

d-enied  by  another. 


NO. 

LESSONS. 

34. 

XXIII. 

35. 

XXIV. 

36. 

XXIV. 

37. 

XXV. 

38. 

XXVI. 

39. 

XXVII. 

40. 

XXVIII. 

41. 

I. 

42. 

II- 

43. 

IIL 

44. 

IV. 

45. 

V. 

46. 

VI. 

47. 

VIL 

48. 

VIII. 

49. 

IX. 

50. 

X. 

THE  COMMUNION  CLASS 


131 


NO. 

LESSONS. 

54. 

XIV. 

55. 

XV. 

56. 

XVI. 

57. 

XVII. 

58. 

XVIII. 

59. 

XIX. 

60. 

XX. 

61. 

XXI. 

62. 

XXII. 

63. 

XXIII. 

64. 

XXIV. 

65. 

XXV. 

66. 


XXVI. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 

He  is  struck  on  the  face. 

He  is  blindfolded  and  spat  on. 

Barabbas  is  preferred  to  Him. 

He  is  scourged. 

He  is  crowned  with  Thorns. 

He  is  mocked  and  struck. 

He  is  sentenced  to  death. 

He  carries  His  Cross  to  Mount  Cal- 
vary. 

His  Hands  and  Feet  are  nailed  to 
the  Cross. 

He  hangs  on  the  Cross  for  three 
hours. 

He  is  mocked  in  His  Death  Agony. 

He  is  given  vinegar  and  gall  to 
drink. 

He  dies.  His  Side  is  pierced  with  a 
lance. 


D.    HIS 

67. 

XXVII. 

68. 

XXVIII. 

69. 

XXIX. 

70. 

XXX. 

71. 

XXXI. 

72. 

XXXII. 

73. 

XXXIII. 

74. 

XXXIV. 

MEMORIAL  OF  IT 

His  Body  and  Blood  under  the  ap- 
pearances of  bread  and  wine. 

Prefigured  in  the  sacrifice  of  Mel- 
chisedech. 

Also  in  the  Manna  and  the  Loaves 
of  Proposition. 

He  promised  this  Gift  some  time 
before  His  Death. 

He  gave  it  to  the  apostles  at  the 
Last  Supper. 

He  gives  it  to  us  in  the  Blessed 
Eucharist. 

This  is  a  Sacrifice  as  well  as  a  Sac- 
rament. 

As  a  Sacrifice,  it  is  the  same  as  that 
of  the  Cross. 


132  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


NO. 

LESSONS. 

ILLUSTRATIONS. 

75. 

XXXV. 

It  is  intended  to  show  the  death  of 
the  Lord. 

76. 

XXXVI. 

It  is  called  the  Mass,  and  is  offered 
every  day. 

77. 

XXXVII. 

Its  institution  is  commemorated  on 
Holy  Thursday. 

78. 

XXII. 

Also  on  the  Feast  of  Corpus  Christi. 

79. 

XXIII. 

Jesus  Christ  is  always  present  in  the 
Tabernacle. 

80. 

XXIV. 

Daily  Communion  is  recommended 
to  all  the  faithful. 

Instead  of  these  last  fourteen  "Illustrations", 
the  following  may  be  preferred: 

1.  The  Eucharist,  prefigured  in  the  sacrifice  of  Melchise- 

dech; 

2.  The  Eucharist,  prefigured  in  the  Manna ; 

3.  "  "  prefigured  in  the  Loaves  of  Proposition; 

4.  "  "  prefigured  in  the  Paschal  Lamb; 

5.  "  "  promised  at  Capharnaum; 

6.  "  "  instituted  at  the  Last  Supper; 

7.  "  "  commemorated  on  Holy  Thursday; 

8.  "  "  commemorated  on  Corpus  Christi; 

9.  "  "  in  Benediction; 

10.  "  "  in  the  Viaticum; 

11.  "  "  in  Exposition    (40  Hours)  ; 

12.  "  "  in  the  Tabernacle; 

13.  '"  "  Devotion  to  the  Sacred  Heart; 

14.  '"  "  Daily  Communion. 

The  immediate  preparation  of  the  class  for  First 
Communion  will  be  made  by  the  pastor  in  suitable 
instructions  apart  from  the  Sunday  School  work. 


THE.  COMMUNION  CLASS  133 

Similar  instructions  are  given  before  First  Confes- 
sion and  Conformation. 

HYMNS 

The  Tantum,  ergo,  0  salutaris,  and  Laudate  Do- 
minum  will  be  explained  and  memorized. 

PRAYERS 

This  class  will  be  taught  to  say  the  Rosary,  and 
urged  to  say  at  least  a  decade  every  day.  They 
must  be  told  over  and  over  that  the  centml, 
primary  object  of  this  devotion  is  to  meditate 
according  to  their  ability  on  the  mysteries  con- 
nected with  our  redemption. 

Teach  them  how  to  use  a  Prayerbook  at  the  var- 
ious Church  functions,  and  when  preparing  for 
the  Sacraments.  Explain  difficult  words  occurring 
in  it,  and  also  many  passages,  unintelligible  to 
children.  Recommend  a  Prayerbook  of  solid,  prac- 
tical piety. 

CHURCH   HISTORY 

Describe  the  beautiful  apostolic  practice  in  the 
early  Church,  of  all  Christians  communicatng 
daily.     So  marked  and  universal  was  the  charity 


134  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

enkindled  by  this  practice,  that  their  enemies  ex- 
claimed: "See  how  those  Christians  love  one  an- 
other!" 

Afterwards,  faith  and  piety  grew  cold,  and  the 
Sacraments  were  very  much  neglected.  In  con- 
sequence, at  the  beginning  of  the  thirteenth  cen- 
tury, excommunication  was  pronounced  in  a  gen- 
eral council  against  those  who  do  not  receive 
Communion,  at  least  once  a  year,  at  Easter  time. 
This  penalty  is  still  in  force. 

At  the  Reformation,  Protestants  abolished  the 
Mass,  and  thereby  deprived  themselves  of  the  most 
precious  gift  bequeathed  by  Jesus  Christ  to  the 
world. 

In  the  present  day,  a  great  revival  of  devotion 
to  the  most  Holy  Eucharist  has  been  inaugurated 
by  the  sovereign  pontiff  (Pius  X.).  Daily  Commun- 
ion is  becoming  general  in  religious  congregations ; 
and  by  the  zeal  of  pastors  the  practice  is  spreading 
among  the  laity. 

LITUEGY 

Explain  the  Mass  thoroughly.  Show  how  Com- 
munion is  received.    Tell   the  meaning  of  Bene- 


THE  COMMUNION  CLASS  135 

diction,  the  Forty  Hours'  Exposition,  processions 
of  the  Most  Holy  Sacrament,  and  the  Viaticum. 
Teach  the  boys  of  this  class  how  to  serve  Mass  and 
assist  at  Vespers,  Benediction,  etc. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  CONFIRMATION   CLASS 

It  is  unusual,  and  it  may  be  impracticable;  yet 
I  would  have  two  or  three  years'  Sunday  School 
work  intervene  between  the  child's  First  Com- 
munion and  its  Confirmation.  The  first  of  those 
years  would  belong  to  the  Communion,  the  other 
one  or  two  to  the  Confirmation  class.  The  reason 
for  this  suggestion  is,  that  when  a  child  has  re- 
ceived a  Sacrament — say,  First  Communion — it 
should  be  exercised  in  the  reception  of  that  Sacra- 
ment, before  it  enters  on  formal  preparation  for 
another.  Moreover  it  is  likely  that  some  children 
will  not  attend  the  Perseverance  class,  after  they 
have  been  confirmed.  They  will  go  to  work;  or 
their  parents  will  lose  control  over  them;  or  they 
will  go  away  from  home,  and  their  pastor  will  be 
unable  to  trace  them.  Therefore,  to  insure  to  these 
the  minimum  of  religious  knowledge,  I  would  give 
one  or  two  years  to  the  Confirmation  class,  and 
136 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  137 

have  the  Sacrament  administered  only  at  the  end. 

The  primary  aim  of  this  class  will  be  to  inspire 
living  faith  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  practical  love  of 
Him,  and  sincere  devotion  to  Him.  This  work 
would  be  unsuited  to  children,  if  we  could  not  pre- 
sent to  them  some  visible  embodiment  of  Him  in 
which  He  abides  and  through  which  He  acts.  We 
have  such  an  embodiment,  and  it  is  the  Catholic 
Church.  Therefore  we  teach  the  class  faith  in  the 
Church,  as  the  representative,  the  organ,  the  agent 
of  the  Holy  Ghost;  we  inspire  love  of  the  Church 
as  a  symbol  and  manifestation  of  His  beneficence ; 
and  we  inculcate  devotion  and  loyalty  to  the 
Church,  as  invested  with  His  Sanctity  and  Author- 
ity. 

The  formal  work  of  the  class,  covering  two  years, 
will  be  divided  into  two  parts.  The  first  will  be 
given  to  a  special  study  of  the  catechism-lessons 
on  the  Holy  Ghost,  the  Church,  and  the  Sacra- 
ment of  Confirmation,  followed  by  a  review  of  the 
whole  catechism.  In  the  second,  the  class  will  take 
for  text-book  "Faith  of  our  Fathers,"  ''Catholic 
Belief,"  or  some  such  work.  As  in  teaching  the 
catechism,  so  here,  each  chapter  or  section  is  ex- 


138  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

plained  one  Sunday,  recited  the  next,  and  the  fol- 
lowing Sunday,  reviewed.  Except  Scripture  texts, 
there  is  to  be  no  verbal  memorizing;  but  each  pu- 
pil will  be  required  to  give  a  clear,  intelligent 
statement  of  the  substance  of  the  lesson. 

At  the  opening  of  the  class,  the  teacher  will  give 
some  lessons  to  the  re-inforcement  of  the  duties  of 
Prayer,  Horror  of  Sin,  and  Love  of  Jesus  Christ, 
already  inculcated. 

"The  Church"  will  be  the  main  subject  of  oral 
instruction.  The  reason  is,  because  Confirmation 
is  the  Sacrament  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  the 
Church,  as  I  have  said,  is  His  organ.  His  agent. 
His  manifestation.  It  is  through  the  Church  we 
know  Him,  not  only  by  the  faith  in  Him  which 
she  teaches;  but  because  by  her  life  and  un- 
bounded activities,  she  is  every  day  revealing  Him 
to  us.  Our  knowledge  of  her  is,  constructively, 
knowledge  of  Him ;  and  our  love  of  her  points  and 
leads  to  love  of  Him.  Our  faith  hears  Him  speak- 
ing in  the  sermon  and  the  catechetical  instruction ; 
it  sees  Him  sanctifying  the  child  in  Baptism,  and 
forgiving  the  sinner  in  Penance,  and  cleansing 
and  strengthening  the  departing  soul  in  Extreme 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  139 

Unction.  "We  love  the  Church  for  her  untiring 
solicitude  and  zeal ;  but  in  the  heart  of  the  Church 
we  see  the  main  spring  of  that  solicitude — the 
Holy  Spirit  that  Jesus  Christ  sent  to  abide  in  her 
forever. 

It  will  be  the  primary  aim,  then,  of  the  Sunday 
School  to  instruct  this  class  in  the  institution,  con- 
stitution, and  general  history  of  the  Church.  But 
this  instruction  will  be  of  small  account,  unless 
the  child  be  trained  in  the  love  of  the  Church,  and 
in  loyal  cooperation  with  her  in  the  regeneration 
and  salvation  of  humanity.  The  layman's  sphere 
of  help  may  be  narrow — it  may  be  limited  to  the 
duty  of  giving  those  around  the  example  of  a  noble 
Christian  life.  But  it  is  not  the  littleness  of  what 
the  layman  can  do  to  help,  that  tells  against  the 
Church :  it  is  his  unconsciousness  of  Jiis  incorpor- 
ation and  oneiiess  with  her  in  her  world-wide 
ministry. 

The  following  suggestions  outline  the  oral  in- 
struction to  be  given  by  teachers. 

1.  Knowledge  of  the  Church,  (a)  Begin  with 
the  Church  of  the  present  day.  Distinguish  it 
from  the  material  building.    Compare  it  with  some 


140  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

local  society  known  to  the  class.     (Object,  presi- 
dent, members,  laws,  founder.) 

(b)  Give  an  idea  of  the  vast  number  of  Catho- 
lics who  make  up  the  Church  (over  two  hundred 
millions).  If  all  the  Catholics  in  the  world  passed 
singly  in  procession  before  the  sovereign  pontiff, 
the  vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  if  they  kept  passing 
day  and  night  without  interruption,  each  taking  a 
minute  to  make  his  obeisance, — such  a  procession 
would  require  nearly  four  hundred  years  to  enable 
all  to  file  by. 

(c)  Next,  take  a  rapid  survey  of  the  countries  of 
the  world,  and  show  how  the  Church  is  found 
working  in  each,  somewhat  as  she  is  working  in 
our  own  parish: — preaching,  baptizing,  absolving 
from  sin,  repeating  the  Sacrifice  of  Calvary,  feed- 
ing the  multitude  with  the  Bread  of  Life,  teaching 
the  child,  helping  the  helpless,  consoling  the  af- 
flicted, kneeling  by  the  death-bed,  and  with  the 
last  Sacraments  preparing  the  soul  for  its  appear- 
ance before  its  Judge.  This  survey  will  give  the 
class  an  idea  of  the  material  Catholicity  of  the 
Church.  (Here  a  map  of  the  world  will  be  almost 
indispensable.) 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  141 

(d)  To  teach  the  Unity  of  the  Church,  describe 
her  organization.  Draw  on  a  blackboard  or  on  a 
large  sheet  of  paper  four  concentric  circles  with  a 
point  for  a  centre.  The  outside  circle  represents 
the  laity;  the  next  the  priesthood;  then  come  the 
bishops;  and,  within,  the  archbishops;  while  the 
central  point  represents  the  pope,  the  supreme 
visible  head  of  the  Church.  The  laity  are  gov- 
erned by  their  respective  pastors;  the  pastors,  by 
their  respective  bishops;  and  the  bishops  by  the 
pope.  This  last  has  a  supreme  and  direct  author- 
ity over  the  universal  Church — bishops,  priests,  and 
laymen.  Bishops  have  direct  authority  over  all 
Catholics  in  their  dioceses.  Pastors  have  direct 
jurisdiction  over  the  Catholic  laity  of  their  par- 
ishes. In  this  well-compacted  organization,  there 
is  but  one  faith,  one  centre  of  authority,  one  Rit- 
ual (the  Mass  and  the  Sacraments),  or,  as  St.  Paul 
expresses  it:  "One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  Baptism." 
(Eph.  iv.  5.) 

(e)  The  Catholic  Church  of  to-day  is  identical 
with  the  Church  which  Jesus  Christ  founded  on 
His  apostles.  This  identity,  or  Apostolicity,  is  il- 
lustrated by  dividing  a  straight  line  on  the  black- 


142  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

board  into  nineteen  sections,  one  for  each  century. 
Trace  her  history  backwards,  giving  (or  reading) 
the  names  of  the  popes  for  each  section  or  century, 
and  mentioning  in  connection  with  it  some  lead- 
ing historical  event,  to  show  how,  always  the  same, 
she  has  stood  before  the  world,  from  age  to  age, 
the  minister  of  Christ  and  dispenser  of  the  mys- 
teries of  God. 

(f)  Another  line,  similarly  divided,  will  help 
to  impress  belief  in  another  mark  of  the  Church 
— her  Holiness — the  evidence  of  the  indwelling  of 
the  Holy  Ghost.  In  connection  with  each  section 
or  century,  sketch  the  life  of  some  saint  who  em- 
bodied the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  correction 
and  enlightenment  of  his  age. 

(g)  And  now  to  show  that  the  Church  to  which 
we  have  the  grace  and  happiness  of  belonging,  is 
the  same  as  that  founded  by  Jesus  Christ,  we  ask 
the  class  to  imagine  themselves  listening  to  Him 
as  He  spoke  about  His  Church.  In  one  place  He 
calls  it  a  fold,  of  which  He  is  the  Shepherd;  and 
He  says  that  He  must  bring  in  those  who  are  not 
yet  of  this  fold;  ''and  there  shall  be  one  fold  and 
one  Shepherd."    This  is  precisely  what  the  Church 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  143 

teaches.  Outside  her  pale,  there  is  no  salvation. 
Besides,  it  is  evident  that  the  fold  of  Jesus  Christ 
must  be  something  visible;  otherwise  how  could 
people  find  their  way  into  it?  And  He  says  that 
there  shall  be  one  fold,  that  is  one  Church.  There- 
fore it  is  wrong  to  hold  that  it  does  not  matter  to 
what  church  one  belongs.  There  are  many  churches 
but  only  one  that  is  true.  In  another  place,  He 
said  to  His  apostles :  ' '  Going  therefore  teach  ye  all 
nations :  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Teaching 
them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever  I  have  com- 
manded you;  and  behold  I  am  with  you  all  days, 
even  to  the  consummation  of  the  world."  (Matt, 
xxviii.  19,  20.)  As- Jesus  Christ  is  to  be  with  His 
Church  to  the  end  of  time,  she  can  never  die  out, 
or  fail;  for  He  could  not  be  with  her  if  she  no 
longer  existed.  Hence,  she  must  be  indefectible, 
that  is,  unfailing — ever  visible,  ever  ''exalted 
above  the  hills,"  so  that  all  nations  may  flow  into 
her.  Furthermore,  as  He  is  to  be  always  with  His 
Church  in  teaching  the  nations,  her  teaching 
must  be  always  true — she  must  be  infallible. — He 
could  not  be  with  her  in  teaching  error.     Lastly, 


144  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

He  distinguished  one  of  His  apostles  from  the  oth- 
ers, by  many  marks  of  preeminence.  One  day,  He 
said  to  him :  ' '  Thou  art  Peter ;  and  upon  this  rock 
I  will  build  my  Church,  and  the  gates  of  hell  shall 
not  prevail  against  it.  And  I  will  give  to  thee 
the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  Heaven."  (Matt.  xvi. 
16,  17.)  After  His  Resurrection,  our  Divine  Lord 
asked  this  same  apostle  three  times:  "Lovest  thou 
Me  ? ' '  and  upon  St.  Peter  answering  each  time : 
"Lord,  Thou  knowest  that  I  love  Thee,"  he  re- 
ceived this  commission:  "Feed  My  lambs — Feed 
My  sheep."  The  lambs  and  sheep  make  up  the 
entire  fold  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  the  -word  feed  in 
Scripture  language  means  rule  or  govern.  Hence 
St.  Peter  and  his  successors  received  supreme 
power  over  the  whole  Church — bishops,  priests, 
and  laity; — and  no  one  can  belong  to  the  fold  of 
Jesus  Christ  who  does  not  acknowledge  the  divine 
source  of  this  power,  when  exercised  in  teaching 
and  governing  the  universal  Church  of  God. 

Love  of  the  Church.  It  matters  little  how  much 
children  know  about  the  Church,  if  they  do  not 
love  her  and  cooperate  with  her,  cordially  and  loy- 
ally, not  only  in  every  parochial  work,  but  also  in 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  145 

every  work  of  Catholic  zeal,  whether  it  be  a  dioc- 
esan charity,  or  a  Catholic  university,  or  a  mission 
in  Japan  or  Central  Africa. 

Formal  motives  for  this  love,  proposed  and 
urged  in  the  Sunday  School,  are  helpful  but  not 
sufficient.  Children  identify  the  Church  with  those 
who  in  any  way  represent  her  and  with  whom  they 
come  in  close  contact.  These  are,  principally,  the 
pastor,  the  parents,  and  the  Sunday  School  teach- 
ers. These  three,  to  a  large  extent,  determine  the 
future  welfare  of  the  Church  in  their  locality — 
not  so  much  by  what  they  teach,  as  by  what  they 
do.  Their  sincerity,  their  piety,  their  beautiful 
Christian  lives,  simple  and  human,  but  eminently 
noble,  their  kindly,  sympathetic  relations  with  the 
child — it  is  the  Church  revealed  in  such  lives  and 
characteristics,  not  the  Church  of  the  catechism, 
that  touches  the  child's  heart  and  wins  for  her 
its  first  love.  Hence,  the  obligation  of  pastors  and 
of  all  others  engaged  in  the  religious  education  of 
the  child,  to  try  their  best  to  endear  themselves  to 
it  for  the  sake  of  the  Church  they  represent. 
Hence,  too,  the  obligation  of  parents,  never  to 
speak    disparagingly    or    disrespectfully    of    their 


146  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

pastors  or  of  religion,  in  the  presence  of  their 
children. 

3.  Training  in  practical  love  of  the  Church. 
This  training  seldom  forms  part  of  a  child's 
Christian  education.  The  consequence  is,  that  we 
leave,  unorganized  and  undeveloped  in  the  Church, 
an  immense  wealth  of  material  resources.  The 
pennies  of  Catholic  children  might  be  made  a  more 
effectual  protection  of  our  foreign  missionaries 
than  all  the  warships  and  bayonets  of  an  anti- 
Christian  government. 

Sincere  love  of  the  Church  is  manifested  in  re- 
spect, loyalty,  and  help :  respect  for  what  she  is 
and  for  what  she  does;  loyalty  in  standing  by  her 
and  defending  her;  help,  by  never  turning  a  deaf 
ear  or  an  empty  hand  to  her,  when  she  appeals  for 
material  means  to  carry  on  her  spiritual  work.  1. 
To  train  children  in  respect  for  the  Church,  we 
begin  by  teaching  them  to  salute  their  pastor,  his 
assistant  and  other  clergymen  they  know,  and  to 
speak  to  them  and  about  them  with  reverence.  "We, 
next,  tell  them  of  the  bishop,  the  chief  pastor  of  the 
diocese,  the  successor  of  the  apostles,  and  the  di- 
vinely appointed  ruler  of  the  priesthood  and  laity 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  147 

in  his  charge — whose  laws  priest  as  well  as  lay- 
man is  obliged  to  obey.  Finally,  we  train  them  in 
affectionate  filial  respect  for  the  supreme  pastor 
of  eveiy  Catholic  throughout  the  world — our  holy 
father  the  pope.  We  ask  them  to  say  a  prayer  for 
him  from  time  to  time,  and  to  offer  at  least  one 
Holy  Communion  for  him  every  year.  2.  We  in- 
struct children  in  loyalty  to  the  Church,  by  cau- 
tioning them  against  ever  speaking  disrespectfully 
of  her  teaching  or  authority.  When  they  hear 
others  speak  ill  of  her,  they  must  not  lose  temper, 
in  their  zeal  to  defend  her.  On  the  contrary,  pa- 
tience and  self-control  do  her  more  honor  than  the 
most  impassioned  harangue,  when  tinged  with 
rancor  and  uncharitableness.  Let  them  be  taught 
to  give  a  clear  explanation  of  any  disputed  Catho- 
lic doctrine,  when  an  opportunity  offers;  but  if 
it  be  not  given  with  modesty  and  calmness,  better 
a  hundred  times  not  give  it  at  all.  During  Sun- 
day School  years,  however,  children  will  best  show 
their  loyalty  to  the  Church  by  studying  their  re- 
ligion so  diligently  and  practising  it  so  faithfully, 
that  in  after  years  they  may  have  the  ability  as 


148  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

well  as  the  will  to  defend  it  with  effect  against  all 
gainsayers. 

Loyalty  to  the  Church  is  specially  tested  in  our 
day  by  the  attitude  of  Catholics  toward  con- 
demned societies.  That  attitude  must  be  uncom- 
promising opposition  and  repudiation;  and  the 
earlier  children  are  trained  to  assume  and  hold  it, 
the  less  danger  will  they  incur  in  after  years  of 
being  drawn  away  from  it  by  the  influence  of  ex- 
communicated men. 

3.  The  means  of  training  the  young  in  practical 
help  of  the  Church  is,  to  train  them  in  contribut- 
ing something  toward  ordinary  and  extraordinary 
collections  for  religious  or  charitable  purposes. 
Many  parents  give  each  of  their  children  a  cent  or 
two  to  put  on  the  plate  at  the  Offertory,  every 
Sunday.  This  is  an  admirable  practice;  but  it 
should  be  more  general  than  it  is,  and  it  should 
gradually  educate  the  child  in  the  willing  sacrifice 
of  something  of  its  own  for  church  purposes.  Be- 
sides, as  I  have  intimated  already,  both  young  and 
old  ought  to  be  trained  in  practical  sympathy — . 
material  help  in  money — for  all  church  work,  not 
alone  within  the  parish,  but  outside — first,  in  the 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS  149 

diocese,  secondly,  in  the  nation,  and,  thirdly,  in 
every  part  of  the  world  wherever  the  Church's 
ministry  is  cramped  for  want  of  generous  Catho- 
lic help. 

In  conclusion,  a  few  words  about  scandal  in 
the  Church.  Prepare  children  for  it,  as  it  is 
hopeless  to  keep  it  from  their  knowledge.  Show 
how  it  was  foretold  by  our  Divine  Lord,  and  per- 
mitted among  His  apostles;  and  that  it  is  the 
inevitable  consequence  of  the  Divine  economy  of 
Redemption,  which  has  arranged  that  men,  not 
angels,  should  be  the  ministers  of  Christ  and 
the  dispensers  of  the  mysteries  of  God. 

SCHEDULE     OF     CONFIRMATION     CLASS 
WORK 


CLASS. 
1. 
2. 
3. 


I. 

INTRODUCTION 

SUBJECT. 

LESSON. 

ILLUSTRATION. 

Love  of  Prayer. 

XXVIII 

Luke    XI 

5-13 

Horror   of   Sin. 

XVIII 

Matt.  XXV 

41-46 

Love  of  J.  C. 

XXII 

Matt.  XXVI 

26-28 

I.      THE  HOLY 

GHOST  AND 

CONFIRMATION 

The  Holy  Ghost 

IX     (1) 

Jno.     XIV 

25-26 

(( 

IX     (2) 

Jno.     XVI 

7-14 

Confirmation. 

XV  (1) 

Acts     II 

1-12 

« 

XV  (2) 

Acta     VIII 

14-24 

150 


THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 


CLASS.         SUBJECT. 

8.         Confirmation. 
9. 
10. 


LESSON.  ILLUSTRATION. 

XVI  (1)  Is.        XI  1-3 

XVI  (2)  Matt.  V  1-12 

XVI  (3)  GaL     V  22,23 


III.      THE    CHURCH 

11.  The  Church  XI    (1)   Jno.     X         1-16 

12.  The  Church.  XI    (2)   Matt.  XVI     13-19 

13.  The      Church      Par.      of 

"  Cockle."  XII  ( 1 )  Matt.  XIII    24-30 

14.  The    Church    "The   Mus- 

tard-seed." XII  (2)  Matt.  XIII    31,32 

15.  The   Church   "The   Fish- 

ing-net." XII  (3)  Matt.  XIII    47-50 

16.  The    Church    "The    Mar- 

riage-feast" XII  (4)  Matt.  XXII  1-14 

IV.      REVIEW 

While  reviewing  the  whole  catechism,  the 
teacher  will  continue  his  oral  instructions  on  the 
Church.  The  list  of  the  popes  is  given  in  "  Cath- 
olic Belief,"  and  need  not  be  transcribed  here. 
The  following  schedule  of  leading  events  and 
representative  saints  will  be  found  helpful.  For 
reference,  Darras'  History  of  the  Church  and  But- 
ler's Lives  of  the  Saints  will  be  found  the  most 
accessible. 


CENTXJRT.  EVENT. 

1.  Death  of  .Jesus  Christ. 

2.  4th  General  Persecution. 

3.  7th  General  Persecution. 

4.  Council  of  Nice. 


REPRESENTATIVE. 
St.  Paul. 
St.  Justin. 
St.  Cyprian. 
St.  Athanasius. 


THE  CONFIRMATION  CLASS 


151 


CENTURY,                        EVENT, 

REPRESENTATIVE. 

5. 

Fall  of  the  Roman  Empire. 

St. 

Augustine. 

6. 

Spread    of    the    Gospel     (Spain 

and  France). 

St. 

Gregory. 

7. 

Spread    of    the    Gospel     (Eng- 

land). 

St. 

Isidore. 

8. 

Spread    of    the    Gospel     (Ger- 

many ) . 

Venerable  Bede. 

9. 

The    Church    and    the    Empire. 

(Charlemagne). 

St. 

Leo  IV. 

10. 

Spread  of  the  Gospel    (Poland, 

etc.). 

St. 

Dunstan. 

U. 

"  Canossa." 

St. 

Gregory,  VII. 

12. 

The   Crusades. 

St. 

Bernard. 

13. 

Religious      Orders.        Christian 

Schools. 

St. 

Thomas  Aquinas. 

14. 

The  Popes  in  Exile.     ( Avignon. ) 

St. 

Catherine. 

15. 

Triumph  of  the  Papacy. 

St. 

Antoninus. 

16. 

The  Reformation. 

St. 

Ignatius. 

17. 

Jansenism. 

St. 

Vincent  de  Paul. 

18. 

The  French  Revolution. 

St. 

Alphonsus. 

19. 

The  Church  persecuted. 

St. 

Benedict   Joseph. 

HYMNS 

Besides  the  hymns  sung  by  the  whole  school, 
the  children  of  this  class  will  memorize  the  Eng- 
lish version  of  the  ''Veni  Creator  Spiritus." 

PRAYERS 

The  teacher  will  give  a  fuller  explanation  of 
the  Our  Father,  Hail  Mary,  and  Glory  be  to  the 
Father.  He  will  also  teach  the  prayer  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  with  the  antiphon,  versicle  and  response 
that   precede   it. 


152  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

CHURCH    HISTORY 

Matter  under  this  head  is  given  in  tracing  the 
Unity  and  Apostolicity  of  the  Church. 

LITURGY 

Oral  instructions  given  in  the  previous  class 
on  the  Mass,  Holy  Communion,  etc.,  are  reviewed. 
The  ceremonies  of  the  other  Sacraments,  especially 
of  Baptism,  Confirmation,  and  Extreme  Unction, 
are  explained. 

The  director  will  appoint  one  Sunday  in  each 
month,  on  which,  after  the  ordinary  class-work, 
these  additional  instructions  on  prayer  and  liturgy 
will  be  given. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS 

The  habit  of  prayer;  a  great  horror  of  sin;  the 
love  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  whole-souled  loy- 
alty and  devotion  to  His  Church — these  are  seeds 
we  have  been  planting  and  watering  in  the  young 
soul  for  the  last  eight  years.  They  include  reli- 
gious knowledge,  but  they  are  specifically  distinct 
from  it;  for  they  are  qualities  of  the  will  not  of 
the  intellect,  of  the  spiritual,  not  of  the  rational, 
life  of  the  soul. 

These  seeds,  which  we  have  been  tending  and 
watching,  would  be  amply  sufficient  for  the  sanc- 
tification  of  the  after-life  of  the  pupil,  were  his 
dispositions  and  surroundings  to  remain  always 
what  they  are  during  his  school  years.  But  after 
his  Confirmation,  in  his  fourteenth  or  fifteenth  year, 
our  young  graduate  is  probably  leaving  school  and 
"entering  on  life,"  as  the  change  is  significantly 
called.     He  passes  from  restraint  to  freedom ;  from 

153 


154  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

parental  and  school  supervision  to  self-direction 
and  government;  from  safety  to  danger;  from 
dreamland  to  reality;  from  theory  to  practice. 
How  v^^ill  the  young  conservatory  flower  bear  trans- 
planting? Like  wise  gardeners,  we  must  keep  an 
eye  on  it  and  save  it  from  the  night  frosts  and 
the  biting  winds,  until  it  has  taken  firm  root  in 
the  new  soil.  This  the  anxious,  loving  pastor  does 
for  his  Sunday  School  pupils,  after  they  have  re- 
ceived Confirmation.  He  brings  them  together 
every  Sunday,  not  any  longer  as  children,  but  as 
young  men  and  women  whose  confidence  and  love 
he  has  long  since  won,  and  with  whom  he  now  con- 
verses, more  as  a  trusted  friend  and  adviser  than 
as  a  teacher  or  superior.  He  recognizes  and  ap- 
preciates the  self-conquest,  the  sacrifice  of  free- 
dom and  pleasure,  implied  in  their  attendance; 
and  he  is  not  niggardly  in  his  praise  of  it. 

Here,  then,  is  the  ultimate  object  of  the  Perse- 
verance class — to  insure,  as  far  as  possible,  the 
continuous  and  vigorous  growth  of  the  principles 
of  Christian  life  in  our  young  people  for  the  first 
few  years  of  their  contact  with  the  world.  It  will 
be  a  great  gain  if  we  succeed  in  keeping  them 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  155 

with  us,  no  matter  how  little  they  learn;  for  we 
may  rest  assured,  that  all  goes  well  with  them  as 
long  as  they  take  pleasure  in  coming  back  to  their 
pastor  and  sitting  with  him  for  an  hour  or  so  once 
a  week.  Imagine  the  permanent  advantage,  then, 
they  will  derive,  if  they  not  only  attend,  but  enter 
with  spirit  and  zest  into  the  two  years'  work  of 
this  class. 

The  immediate  object  aimed  at  is  a  fuller,  more 
active  and  more  intelligent  Christian  life;  but  the 
means  employed  are  not  direct  preaching  of  prac- 
tical religion — cautioning  against  bad  books,  bad 
company,  habits  of  intemperance,  profanity,  &c. 
The  Daily  Practice,  indeed,  will  be  directed  against 
the  most  obvious  dangers  to  which  young  people 
are  exposed.  This,  however,  will  take  only  five 
minutes,  and,  consisting  mostly  of  self-examina- 
tion, it  will  be  the  work  of  the  pupil  more  than  of 
the  teacher. 

No;  the  work  of  the  Perseverance  class  is  the 
continuation  and,  as  far  as  may  be,  the  comple- 
tion of  the  work  done  in  the  preceding  classes.  It 
will  be  a  fuller  knowledge,  a  deeper  love,  and  a 
more  facile  practice  of  religion. 


156  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

The  course  of  instruction  in  this  class  is  com- 
pleted in  two  years.  The  first  is  given  to  the 
Bible  (the  Old  and  New  Testaments)  ;  the  second, 
to  the  Church — her  history  and  her  devotional  life. 
Each  year  is  divided  into  two  sessions. 

The  following  is  suggested  as  an  outline  of  the 
work  of  each  session. 

FIRST  YEAR 

First  Session.  Geography  and  topography  of 
Palestine.  Outline  of  Jewish  history.  What  is  the 
Bible?  Inspiration;  Canon;  divisions.  The  Old 
Testament.  Its  division  into  historical,  didactic, 
and  prophetical  books.  General  idea  of  each,  with 
its  relation,  by  type  or  prophecy,  to  Jesus  Christ. 
Some  illustrious  personages.     Readings. 

Second  Session.  Jerusalem  and  its  environs. 
The  Temple.  Chief  places  mentioned  in  connec- 
tion with  our  Divine  Lord.  Manners,  customs,  do- 
mestic life  of  the  Jews.  Historical  books:  (a) 
The  Gospels.  Distinctive  features  of  each.  Order 
of  events  in  our  Divine  Lord's  Life.  Proofs  of 
Catholic  doctrine,  (b)  The  Acts  of  the  Apos- 
tles.    Summary    of    contents.    'Journeys    of    St. 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  157 

Paul.  Proofs  of  Catholic  doctrine,  (c)  Didac- 
tic books  (Epistles).  Their  authors;  scope;  sali- 
ent features  of  Church  constitution  and  discipline 
revealed  in  them,  (d)  Prophetic  book  (Apoca- 
lypse). 

SECOND    YEAR 

First  Session.  The  history  of  the  Church.  Per- 
secutions of  the  first  three  centuries.  Defense  of 
the  Incarnation  of  the  Son  of  God.  Conversion  of 
the  heathen.  Schools  and  universities.  The  Cru- 
sades. Development  of  the  Christian  home.  The 
Renaissance.  The  Reformation.  Discovery  of 
America.  The  Church  in  this  country,  in  this 
province,  in  this  diocese.  Survey  of  the  Church 
all  over  the  world  at  the  present  day. 

Second  Session.  The  devotional  life  of  the 
Church.  The  Mass;  the  Divine  Office;  Cere- 
monies of  the  Sacraments;  other  liturgical  func- 
tions. The  Sundays  of  the  year.  The  Life  of  our 
Divine  Lord  represented  historically  (in  the  prin- 
cipal mysteries),  and  mystically  (in  His  saints), 
throughout  the  year.  Nature,  history,  and  use  of 
Sacramentals. 

Under  favorable  conditions,  all  this  work  can 


158  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

be  done  within  the  time  allotted.  The  complete- 
ness of  the  work,  however,  is  not  of  such  vital  im- 
portance, that,  to  secure  it,  we  should  run  the 
•risk  of  wearying  or  disgusting  our  pupils.  As  a 
first  condition  of  success,  we  are  bound  to  interest. 
Yet  it  is  not  present  interest  in  a  subject  we  are 
to  strive  for;  but  that  permanent  interest  that 
will  lead  the  pupil  in  after  years  to  pursue  the 
study  of  which  we  give  him  a  foretaste.  If,  how- 
ever, notwithstanding  all  our  efforts,  we  find  it 
impossible  to  make  our  class  eager  to  learn  what 
we  teach,  let  us  reconcile  ourselves  to  the  dis- 
agreeable truth  that  we  simply  cannot  teach  it, 
and  turn  to  some  other  subject. 

But  lack  of  interest  and  attention  in  a  class  is 
often  due  to  the  teacher's  unskilful  presentment  of 
his  subject-matter.  Biblical  names,  for  example, 
should  not  be  mentioned  until  the  persons  or  things 
for  which  they  stand  be  fully  explained.  Neither 
should  a  lesson  be  crowded  with  strange  proper 
names,  no  matter  how  clearly  they  are  described. 

Immensely  more  important  than  covering  the 
whole  field  of  any  of  those  subjects,  is  the  keeping 
of  the  central  idea,  the  central  object,  and  the  cen- 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  159 

tral  purpose  of  them  before  the  pupils'  minds. 
The  central  idea  is  Jesus  Christ ;  the  central  object 
is  to  show  the  preparation  for  Ilis  Coming,  the 
details  of  His  visible  Life  among  men,  and  His 
continuous  Presence  in  the  Church;  while  the  cen- 
tral purpose  is  to  make  Him  recognized,  honored, 
and  loved — the  soul  of  every  individual  life,  and 
the  mainspring  of  its  activities,  Jesus  Christ,  the 
central  thought,  as  He  is  the  central  Figure  in  the 
world 's  life ;  Jesus  Christ,  the  central  thought  and 
Figure  in  the  life  of  each  individual — let  the 
grandeur,  the  beauty,  the  truth  of  this  idea  grow 
in  your  pupils,  and  there  will  be  no  lack  of  inter- 
est in  anything  you  teach  them  about  Him. 

I  will  mention  here  a  few  helps  by  which  the 
teaching  of  this  class  may  be  made  more  productive 
of  permanent  results. 

1.  Note-taking.  Ask  the  class  to  take  short 
notes,  and  to  copy  them  at  home  into  a  neatly  kept 
manuscript.  In  the  beginning,  dictate  what  you 
wish  them  to  write  and  show  them  a  model  of  the 
kind  of  work  you  expect.  To  prevent  discourage- 
ment, tell  them  that  you  do  not  require  formal 
"compositions" — only  as  many  words  as  will  re- 


160  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

mind  them  of  the  substance  of  the  lesson.  Tell 
them  also  that  what  you  look  for  most  is  not  per- 
fection at  the  start,  but  improvement  as  the  class 
proceeds. 

Some  will  take  kindly  to  this  exercise  and  per- 
severe in  it;  others  will  begin  it  enthusiastically, 
but  give  it  up  after  a  few  trials ;  and  more  will  not 
undertake  it  at  all.  The  director's  prudence  will 
enable  him  to  decide  when  it  is  to  be  made  obliga- 
tory, when  left  optional,  and  when  it  is  best 
omitted. 

2.  Supplementary  reading.  The  subject-matter 
for  each  lesson  is  so  extensive,  that,  without  home- 
reading,  the  pupils  will  have  but  a  very  superficial 
and  unsatisfactory  knowledge  of  it.  Hence,  for 
permanent  results,  home-reading  is  absolutely  nec- 
essary. But  this  presents  difficulties  and  obsta- 
cles, in  many  cases  almost  insurmountable,  the 
chief  of  which  are,  distaste  for  religious  reading, 
no  books,  and  no  time.  A  word  about  each  of 
these  will  not  be  amiss. 

(a)  You  may  safely  presume  that  many  children 
of  the  Perseverance  class  have  acquired  a  taste  for 
light  reading.     This   taste   almost   inevitably  im- 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  161 

plies  a  repugnance  for  serious,  and,  much  more, 
for  religious,  reading.  What,  then,  are  you  to  do  ? 
First  of  all,  do  not  be  extreme  in  your  denuncia- 
tion of  novels.  They  are  eating  into  the  intellec- 
tual, as  well  as  the  spiritual,  life  of  our  young  peo- 
ple. The  habit  of  reading  them  has  most  of  the 
characteristics  of  the  drink-habit,  and  must  be 
dealt  with  in  a  similar  manner.  Give  the  novel- 
fiend  a  healthy  story,  as  a  reward  for  reading  Gen- 
esis or  Exodus.  Promise  him  another  for  doing 
double  this  amount  of  serious  work.  Give  him  in 
the  course  of  this  treatment  a  stirring  book  of 
travels,  say,  in  the  Holy  Land,  instead  of  a  work 
of  fiction.  Afterwards,  give  him  a  biography — 
even  Plutarch's  Lives.  Meanwhile,  keep  reason- 
ing with  him.  ' '  Surely, ' '  you  say  to  him,  ' '  a  child 
would  not  take  food,  no  matter  how  appetizing, 
which  its  mother  told  it  contained  poison.  So,  too, 
you  should  not  read  a  book  which  I,  your  pastor, 
tell  you  will  lead  you  away  from  God  and  kill 
your  soul." 

Next,  point  out  as  vividly  as  you  can  how  much 
more  rational  and  conducive  to  a  clean,  noble  man- 
hood or  womanhood  it  is,  to  feed  the  mind  on 


162  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

truth  rather  than  on  falsehood,  especially  as  truth 
is  often  stranger  and  more  interesting  than  fic- 
tion. 

Lastly,  in  the  book  for  supplementary  reading 
which  you  recommend,  point  out  interesting  pas- 
sages, so  as  to  create  a  desire  for  reading  it 
throughout. 

(b)  No  books.  A  Sunday  School  can  work  with- 
out a  library,  but  it  will  not  produce  the  best  re- 
sults. At  any  sacrifice,  it  ought  to  be  provided 
with  one;  and  every  child,  able  to  read,  should  be 
given  a  book  on  Sunday  for  home-reading  during 
the  week.  Were  this  done  from  the  Prayer  class 
upward,  a  taste  for  Catholic  literature  would  be 
developed,  and  our  children  would  be  largely  saved 
from  the  corruption  of  the  dime  novel.  With  a 
slight  initial  outlay,  the  school  pence  would  make 
such  a  little  library  self-supporting;  and  the  man- 
agement— except,  perhaps,  the  financial  part — 
might  be  entrusted  to  a  committee  of  the  oldest 
children. 

But  whether  or  not  such  a  library  can  be  sup- 
plied for  the  whole  Sunday  School,  a  suitable  col- 
lection of  books  ought  to  be  on  hand  for  the  Per- 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  163 

severance  class.  For  the  two  Bible  courses  the 
Book  itself  provides  the  most  necessary  and  ample 
mart;ter;  but  this  should  be  supplemented  with 
works  on  Jewish  history,  manners  and  customs; 
also  books  of  travel  in  Palestine;  but  especially 
a  Life  of  our  Divine  Lord,  with  lives  of  our 
Blessed  Lady,  of  St.  Joseph,  St.  Paul,  &c.  For 
the  other  two  courses,  provide  short  lives  of  the 
saints  in  chronological  order. 

(c)  No  time.  "Where  there's  a  will,  there's  a 
way."  Other  children  find  time  to  read  novels; 
— some  are  seen  reading  them  in  the  street-car,  go- 
ing to  work.  Can  ours  not  be  persuaded  to  give 
half  an  hour  of  an  evening  to  reading  about  Jesus 
Christ?  Yes;  I  thmk  they  can — at  least  many  of 
them.  Let  us  supply  the  books — if  necassary,  out 
of  our  own  library ;  and  we  may  rely  on  it,  that 
very  few  of  them  will  be  returned  unread. 

3.  Besides  note-taking  and  supplementary  read- 
ing, there  is  another  help  which  is  found  very  use- 
ful for  confirming  the  impressions  made  by  the 
Sunday  School  lesson.  It  is  the  home-repetition 
by  the  pupil,  each  Sunday  evening,  of  all  that  was 
learned  in  that  day's  class.     Not  the  child  alone, 


164  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

but  every  member  of  the  family,  will  benefit  by 
such  repetition.  With  God's  grace,  indeed,  it  may 
have  somewhat  of  the  effect  of  a  sermon ;  for  is  it 
not  written :  ' '  Out  of  the  mouth  of  infants  and  of 
sucklings  thou  hast  perfected  praise?" 

It  is  advisable  to  make  as  much  distinction  as 
possible  between  this  and  the  other  classes  of  the 
Sunday  School.  Give  the  Perseverance  pupils  all 
the  privileges  compatible  with  discipline  and  earn- 
est work.  If  convenient,  let  them  be  taught  at  a 
different  time  and  in  a  different  place  from  the 
others.  But  if  this  cannot  be,  and  the  class  is  -held 
in  the  church,  let  them  have  the  place  of  honor, 
nearest  to  the  altar;  and  let  each  division  have  a 
banner  in  front  of  it,  with  a  painting  of  some 
mystery  or  of  a  patron  saint.  To  show  trust  in 
them  and  to  avoid  all  appearance  of  pressure,  I 
would  have  no  roll-call  for  them,  and  would  dis- 
tribute among  them  no  attendance  tickets. 

The  lesson  should  be  thoroughly  prepared  and 
taught  in  a  masterly  way;  otherwise  the  class  will 
dwindle  down  to  zero.  Therefore,  as  a  rule,  the 
teaching  will  have  to  be  done  by  the  director  him- 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  165 

self  or  another  priest,  unless  there  be  some  reli- 
gious community  to  which  it  may  be  entrusted. 

There  is  some  slight  danger  that  children  who 
receive  this  higher  religious  education  may  become 
self-conceited,  bigoted,  argumentative,  &c.  To 
guard  against  such  danger,  the  teacher  must,  first 
of  all,  see  that  genuine  simple  piety  and  knowledge 
of  religion  grow  simultaneously  in  the  members  of 
his  class.  Not  that  he  is  to  look  for  freedom 
from  faults  and  even  vices;  but  surely  he  may 
expect  to  find  in  their  demeanor  in  church,  their 
regular  attendance  at  Mass,  and  their  monthly  re- 
ception of  Sacraments,  a  guarantee  of  earnest  pur- 
pose to  subdue  their  passions  and  lead  upright 
Christian  lives.  Furthermore,  children  of  this 
class  are  to  be  cautioned  against  provoking  reli- 
gious discussions  among  their  companions  at  their 
work  or  elsewhere.  When  appealed  to  or  the  oc- 
casion demands  it,  let  them  explain  Catholic  doc- 
trine modestly  and  temperately,  but  let  them  re- 
member always  that  ''to  live  religion,  not  to  talk 
it,"  should  be  the  motto  of  every  true  Christian. 

A  word  in  conclusion  about  the  best  means  of 
keeping  up   the   attendance   in  the   Perseverance 


166  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

class.  Devise  plans  to  interest  and  attract  each 
child.  Win  its  love  and  use  the  powerful  influ- 
ence you  will  thus  acquire.  Give  prizes  and  out- 
ings. Secure  the  cooperation  of  parents  and  em- 
ployers. Pray,  and  leave  the  issue  in  the  Hands 
of  God. 

One  of  the  most  useful  features  of  the  class  will 
be  frequent,  informal  conversations  on  practical 
questions  affecting  the  children's  future  lives. 
Those  conversations  must  have  nothing  of  the  ser- 
mon or  lecture  in  them.  The  director  must  invite 
and  urge  all  to  take  part  in  them.  It  would  be  ad- 
visable even  to  have  debates  on  some  of  the  more 
interesting  subjects. 

I  would  suggest  the  following  questions  for  the 
boys'  class.  The  girls  will,  if  possible,  be  taught 
by  Sisters,  who  will  know  best  the  subjects  most 
suitable  for  the  purpose. 

1.  How  to  choose  a  profession  or  state  of  life. 

2.  How  to  succeed  in  life. 

3.  Is  it  helpful  to  cultivate  a  sense  of  honor? 

4.  What  is  the  bearing  of  refinement  on  moral 
conduct  ? 

5.  What  to  read  for  mental  culture. 


THE  PERSEVERANCE  CLASS  167 

6.  The  value  of  true  friendship, 

7.  How  to  choose  one's  friends. 

8.  How  to  form  correct  opinions  on  public  ques- 
tions. 

9.  How  to  cultivate  conversational  powers. 

10.  Should  a  Catholic  layman  take  an  active  in- 
terest in  ecclesiastical  affairs? 

11.  Should  he  help  in  parish  work? 

12.  What  can  he  do  for  the  Church? 

•  13.  What    can    he    do    for    his    non-Catholic 
friends  ? 

14.  Should  he  belong  to  some  Catholic  society? 

15.  Should  he  make  himself  competent  to   de- 
fend Catholic  faith  against  unbelievers? 

16.  Are  healthy   amusements  beneficial   to   the 
young? 

17.  What  are  the  chief  rocks  ahead  of  young 
men?     The  safeguards  against  them? 

18.  How  is  a  young  man  to  make  friends  among 
strangers  ? 

19.  How  to  recover  from  a  false  step? 

20.  What  are  the  advantages  of  a  Rule  of  Life? 


CHAPTER  XVII 

ORDER    OF    EXERCISES 

The  exercises  of  a  Sunday  School  ought  to  be 
varied.  The  character  of  the  work  to  be  done  calls 
for  variety;  and  it  is  demanded  especially  on  ac- 
count of  the  restlessness  of  children  who  can 
scarcely  give  undivided  attention  for  any  long 
time  to  a  serious  subject.  In  this  variety  there 
must  be  order;  and  the  order  must  be  the  same 
for  all  the  classes.  The  teacher's  own  alertness 
in  obeying  the  signal  for  a  change  of  exercise, 
should  be  an  object-lesson  to  the  class  in  punctu- 
ality and  promptitude. 

No  precise  order  can  be  laid  down  as  best  under 
all  possible  circumstances.  Each  director  will 
judge  for  himself  which  is  most  suitable  for  his 
own  school.  But  it  is  most  important  that  any 
order  that  has  been  once  adopted  should  be  ob- 
served permanently. 

The  following  arrangement  has  been  found  to 
168 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES 


169 


work  satisfactorily;  yet  it  is  given  here  only  by 
way  of  suggestion. 

3.00  P.M.  Prayers. 

3.05      "      Hymn. 

3.10      "     Roll-call. 

3.15      "     Daily  Practice. 

3.20      "      Review  of  last  lesson. 

3.30      "      Recitation  of  day's  lesson. 

3.55      "      Explanation  of  next  lesson, 

4.10      "      Hymn. 

4.15      ' '     Address. 

4.25      "     Prayers  and  dismissal. 

1.  Prayers.  The  bell  is  rung  at  five  minutes  to 
three.  Each  child  on  entering  receives  an  attend- 
ance ticket.  (This  ticket  is  chiefly  meant  to  be 
proof  of  attendance.)  A  certain  number  of  tick- 
ets presented  at  the  end  of  a  term  will  entitle  the 
holder  to  a  prize.  The  safe  keeping  of  them  will 
be  a  training  in  carefulness  and  forethought. 
When  all  are  assembled,  the  director  says  the 
prayers — Our  Father,  Hail  Mary,  I  believe.  Glory 
be  to  the  Father.  The  prayers  are  said  by  all  in 
common,  slowly  and  in  a  loud  voice. 

2.  Hymn.     For  a  few  Sundays,   the  hymn  se- 


170  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

leeted  is  explained  by  the  teacher,  without  being 
sung.  The  children  are  taught  to  recite  or  sing 
it  as  a  prayer — not  a  mere  vocal  exercise.  Great 
care  must  be  taken  in  the  selection  of  words  and 
music.  The  former  are  often  too  gushing;  while 
the  latter  is  too  slow  and  solemn  for  children. 
The  hymns  are  not  changed  until  they  are 
thoroughly  memorized. 

3.  Boll-call.  Each  teacher  marks  attendance 
on  a  card,  which  he  afterwards  gives  to  the  regis- 
trar. To  train  in  punctuality,  no  child  is  marked 
present  who  has  not  an  attendance  ticket. 

4.  Daily  Practice.  Toward  the  end  of  the  pre- 
vious Sunday  School,  the  director  in  his  address 
recommended  and  explained  some  duty  or  good 
work,  to  be  performed  by  the  children  during  the 
week.  They  are  now  asked,  each  class  by  its 
teacher,  to  call  to  mind  how  often  they  have 
knowingly  failed  to  perform  it,  and  to  make  an 
act  of  contrition  for  any  negligence  of  which  they 
may  find  themselves  guilty.  It  is  evident  that 
this  exercise  can  be  made  an  invaluable  help  toward 
the  formation  of  the  child's  character.  But  the 
purpose  of  it  will  be  frustrated,  unless  the  teacher 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES  171 

attach  special  importance  to  it  and  surround  it 
with  a  certain  solemnity.  It  is  better  to  make  it 
separately  in  each  class,  than  to  have  the  whole 
school  to  make  it  in  common.  The  following 
method  may  be  adopted: 

(a)  The  teacher  asks  what  the  Daily  Practice  is, 
and  how  it  should  be  performed.  What  did  the 
priest  say  about  it? 

(b)  The  class  kneels  down  and  recites  a  Hail 
Mary,  to  obtain,  through  the  intercession  of  our 
Blessed  Mother,  light  to  ascertain  how  far  the 
duty  or  work  was  knowingly  omitted. 

(c)  After  about  a  minute's  silent  examination, 
all  recite  the  Confiteor  together,  and  resume  their 
seats. 

5.  Review  of  last  lesson.  It  must  be  brief,  yet 
include  a  summary  of  every  important  matter  ex- 
plained. It  is  to  be  made  by  questioning  the 
whole  class  (not  individuals),  and  the  questions 
are  to  be  put  in  such  a  form  as  to  call  for  brief 
answers.  The  same  order  is  followed  as  in  the 
recitation  of  the  preceding  Sunday.  (Meaning, 
paraphrase,  illustrations,  emotional  aspect,  bear- 
ing on  conduct.)     After  the  summary,  the  teacher 


172  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

shows  the  connection  between  the  last  and  the 
present  lesson;  and — what  is  equally  important — 
he  shows  thQ  connection  of  both  lessons  with  the 
main  divisions  of  the  catechism.  (The  Creed,  the 
Sacraments,  the  Decalogue.)  The  interdepend- 
ence of  revealed  truths,  their  mutual  relations,  the 
manner  in  which  they  are  dovetailed  one  into  an- 
other— all  this  forms  a  most  useful  and  interest- 
ing element  in  Sunday  School  education. 

6.  Recitation  of  the  day's  lesson.  This  is  the 
longest  of  the  exercises,  and  the  backbone  of  Sun- 
day School  work.  The  lesson  must  be  memorized 
perfectly  by  every  child  in  the  class.  Whether  it 
be  understood  fully,  or  only  in  part,  or  not  at  all, 
it  must  be  memorized.  Impress  this  on  your  class 
from  the  start,  and  you  will  save  yourself  much 
unnecessary  worry  and  friction.  Give  short  les- 
sons, and  instruct  your  children  how  to  commit 
them  to  memory  during  the  week — two  or  three 
answers  daily  and  all  together  on  Saturday.  If 
there  be  a  particularly  dull  pupil  in  your  class 
who  manifestly  does  his  best,  but  is  unable  to 
memorize  the  lesson,  either  excuse  him  publicly 
before  the  others,  or  ask  the  director  to  arrange  for 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES  173 

his  separate  instruction.  But  for  all  the  rest  of 
the  class,  make  it  a  strict  rule  that  each  prepares 
his  lesson  during  the  week  and  comes  with  it  "on 
his  fingers'  ends"  to  Sunday  School.  The  direc- 
tor will  see  that  this  rule  is  enforced  uniformly- 
through  the  school ;  so  that,  in  this  matter  at  least, 
no  one  teacher  gain  a  character  for  greater  leni- 
ency than  another. 

By  appealing  to  parents  for  their  cooperation, 
the  director  will  save  his  teachers  from  any  odium 
that  might  be  occasioned  by  the  rigid  enforce- 
ment of  satisfactory  memorizing.  No  child  can 
long  hold  out  against  the  united  pressure  of  home, 
church,  and  school  influence. 

As  the  lesson  of  the  day  was  explained  in  the 
last  Sunday  School,  the  teacher  will  ask  something 
more  than  the  bare  words  of  the  catechism.  He 
will  ask  also  the  meaning  of  hard  words,  a  para- 
phrase of  the  answer  given,  some  illustration  of 
it,  the  personal  realization  of  it,  the  emotional  ef- 
fect it  is  calculated  to  produce,  and  the  influence 
it  ought  to  exercise  on  conduct.  These  questions 
are  to  be  put  to  the  whole  class,  so  as  to  keep  at- 
tention fixed  on  each  recitation.     Here,  however, 


174  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

the  kindliest  allowance  is  to  be  made  for  incor- 
rect answering ;  for  children  are  not  likely  to  re- 
member unfamiliar  truths  told  them  but  once. 
Let  the  interrogation,  then,  be  made  an  occasion 
for  repeating  briefly  the  explanation  already 
given. 

In  exceptional  circumstances,  the  director  will 
find  it  necessary  to  recommend  class-memorizing. 
The  drudgery  of  this  work  is  distasteful  to  every- 
one engaged  in  it.  When  it  has  to  be  done,  the 
teacher,  first,  explains  the  words  and  paraphrases 
them.  He  then  asks  the  class  to  read  aloud  and 
together  each  answer  half  a  dozen  times.  To  re- 
lieve their  attention,  he  shows  and  describes  a  pic- 
ture, or  relates  an  example,  illustrative  of  the  les- 
son. Lastly,  after  one  more  rehearsal,  he  ex- 
amines, first,  the  whole  class,  and  then  each  indi- 
vidual. A  lesson  thus  memorized  has  to  be  re- 
peated two  or  three  successive  Sundays. 

Dull  pupils  have  to  be  treated  with  great  gen- 
tleness. Do  not  force  them  to  memorize — the 
words  have  no  meaning  for  them.  Teach  them  by 
pictures,  especially  of  the  Life  of  our  Divine  Lord, 
arranged  in  chronological  order.     Let  them  study 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES  175 

each  well  before  passing  to  the  next.  Ask  them 
easy,  encouraging  questions;  and  be  satisfied  if 
they  know  the  essentials  of  religion.  Save  them 
as  much  as  possible  from  all  feeling  of  shame  or 
disgrace ;  and,  above  all,  shield  them  from  the 
ridicule  of  their  class-mates. 

7.  Explanation  of  the  next  lesson.  This  must  be 
prepared  with  scrupulous  care  and  minuteness. 
The  interest  of  the  class  must  be  aroused  and  up- 
held; and  the  threefold  aim  of  religious  instruc- 
tion (knowledge,  love,  practice),  must  be  kept 
clearly  in  sight.  Although  the  explanation  occu- 
pies but  fifteen  minutes,  at  least  an  hour  during 
the  week  ought  to  be  given  to  preparation.  In  the 
beginning,  this  should  be  made  under  the  immedi- 
ate supervision  of  the  director.  He  will  appoint 
an  evening  for  a  meeting  of  his  teachers,  in  a  suit- 
able room  or  hall,  provided  with  an  abundant  sup- 
ply of  reference  books  and  other  helps — among 
them  some  copies  of  a  large  dictionary.  (The  old, 
cheap  edition  of  Webster  is  quite  satisfactory.) 
He  will  also  furnish  each  teacher  with  a  note-book, 
in  which  will  be  entered  whatever  items  cannot  be 
trusted  to  memory.     The  teacher  will  then  prepare 


176  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

the  lesson  in  some  such  order  and  manner  as  the 
following : 

(a)  He  will  read  the  lesson  carefully,  and  trace 
its  connections,  immediate  and  remote,  with  pre- 
ceding lessons. 

(b)  He  will  mark  all  words  in  the  lesson  that  a 
child  is  not  likely  to  understand,  find  out  their 
meaning,  applications,  and  synonyms,  and  pre- 
pare himself  to  explain  them  satisfactorily. 

(c)  He  will  make  sure  that  he  can  paraphrase 
the  answers  in  simple  child-language. 

(d)  He  will  next  take  the  subject-matter  of  the 
lesson  (usually  given  in  the  heading),  and  study 
how  to  illustrate  it  or  picture  it  on  the  imagination 
of  the  child.  This  is  to  be  done  by  verbal  and  pic- 
torial representations.  He  will  be  helped  in  pre- 
paring the  former  by  following  the  suggestions 
given  in  the  ninth  chapter.  For  the  latter  he  will 
require  to  study  in  detail  a  colored  painting  illus- 
trating the  subject. 

(e)  He  will  now  contrive  the  best  means  of 
making  the  truth,  the  help  or  the  duty,  personal 
to  the  child.  "The  good  God  thought  of  me  and 
revealed  this  truth  for  me  individually    .    .     ." 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES  177 

(f)  He  will  ask  himself,  what  emotion  is  nat- 
urally suggested  by  this  personal  application  and 
appropriation  of  the  truth,  how  it  is  to  be  aroused, 
prolonged  and  deepened,  and  how  made  grow  into 
desire  and  resolution. 

(g)  Lastly,  he  will  prepare  some  motives  by 
which  the  child  may  be  led  to  regulate  its  conduct 
in  one  or  other  direction  by  the  truth  explained. 

8.  The  address.  This  is  the  only  other  exercise 
of  the  Sunday  School  that  needs  to  be  noticed. 
Its  object  is  to  explain,  illustrate  and  enforce 
the  Daily  Practice  for  the  coming  week.  The 
director  will  make  the  common  domestic  and  so- 
cial virtues — but,  especially,  charity, — the  sub- 
ject-matter of  this  short  and  animated  discourse. 
As  a  rule,  he  will  speak  of  the  vices  only  indirectly 
and  incidentally.  He  will  insist  on  personal  ef- 
fort and  urge  abundant  natural  motives,  ending, 
of  course,  with  the  supernatural.  In  proposing 
these  latter,  great  prudence  is  necessary,  lest  the 
child  be  led  to  think,  that  "it  is  no  good"  to  be 
naturally  good,  unless  one  be  a  saint.  All  wise  re- 
ligious teachers  are  on  their  guard  against  over- 
seeding  the  young  mind  with  the  supernatural. 


178  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

It  is  advisable  to  draw  up  a  list  of  subjects  for 
these  addresses,  and  to  arrange  them  in  the  order 
of  their  importance.  Every  practice  of  Christian 
life,  suited  to  children,  is  to  be  included.  Nay 
more :  the  principles  of  polite  behavior — courtesy 
to  females,  the  old,  the  poor,  and  strangers;  table 
manners;  personal  cleanliness;  unselfishness;  re- 
gard for  the  feelings  of  others; — in  a  word,  all 
the  details  of  daily  home-life  will  be  among  the 
practices  recommended.  But  charity  in  domestic 
and  social  relations  will  be  the  keynote  of  all  his 
addresses. 

Subjects  are  to  be  repeated  over  and  over,  until 
they  are  known  to  have  taken  hold  of  the  con- 
science of  the  child.  Parents  are  the  best  judges 
of  this ;  and  the  director  should  have  frequent  con- 
ferences with  them  about  it,  assuring  them  that 
neglect  of  the  Daily  Practice  implies  forfeiture 
of  half  the  benefit  of  the  Sunday  School. 

From  weekly  to  daily  examination  of  con- 
science, the  passage  is  direct  and  easy.  When, 
therefore,  the  children  have  been  accustomed  for 
some  time  to  examine  themselves  every  Simday 
on  the  practice  recommended  to  them,  they  will 


ORDER  OF  EXERCISES  179 

have  little  difficulty  in  undertaking  the  more  im- 
portant daily  examination  of  conscience  that 
should  be  made,  as  part  of  their  night  prayers. 
Needless  to  say,  this  examination  should  be  very 
short  and  simple. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

SUNDAY  SCHOOL  APPARATUS 

Under  this  head  I  include  all  the  helps  needed 
by  a  teacher  in  his  Sunday  School  work.  The 
chief  are:  the  Bible;  the  catechism  and  other  text- 
books; colored  pictures;  maps;  blackboard;  and 
library.  A  few  words  on  each  of  these  will  be 
sufficient. 

1.  The  Bible.  Though  not  a  text-book  in  the 
ordinary  sense,  the  Bible  should  be  constantly  used 
for  reference.  No  teacher  can  pretend  to  im- 
prove on  the  simple,  direct  language  in  which  it 
records  facts  or  enunciates  divine  truths.  Besides, 
its  words  have  a  singular  impressiveness  and 
charm  for  the  child-mind.  Therefore,  the  stories 
of  Creation,  the  Fall,  the  Deluge,  etc.,  as  well  as 
the  history,  miracles,  parables,  and  other  teaching 
of  our  Divine  Lord,  should  be  read  in  the  original 
text,  not  given  in  paraphrase.  I  would  go  far- 
ther, and  recommend  that  such  passages  be  found 
180 


SUNDAY  SCPIOOL  APPARATUS  181 

out  and  read  by  members  of  the  class — not  by  the 
teacher.  The  pupils  would  be  thus  familiarised 
with  the  Bible  and  led  to  appreciate  its  value. 
Previously,  however,  the  sacred  character  of  the 
Book  and  great  reverence  in  using  it  should  be 
impressed  on  them.  For  this  purpose,  it  might  be 
advisible  to  ask  them  to  kiss  it  before  and  after 
reading.  (In  connection  with  the  use  of  the  Bi- 
ble, let  each  teacher  make  clear  to  his  class,  that 
the  Church  alone  is  its  divinely  authorized  and  in- 
fallible interpreter. ) 

2.  The  catechism.  It  is  presumed  throughout 
this  work,  that  the  class-book  of  Christian  doctrine 
used  in  the  Sunday  School  is  the  Baltimore  Cat- 
echism. I  am  aware  that  some  pastors  find  fault 
with  it,  and  go  so  far  as  to  substitute  another  in 
its  stead.  I  cannot  agree  with  them.  It  is  not, 
as  some  expect  it  to  be,  a  manual  of  self-instruc- 
tion ;  for  faith  comes  from  hearing,  not  from  read- 
ing. Neither  is  it  intended  to  be  intelligible  to 
children  without  a  teacher — to  be  written  in  the 
vocabulary  of  the  nursery.  Its  object,  like  that 
of  all  other  ofificial  catechisms,  is  to  give  a  siun- 
mary  or  memorial  of  Christian  doctrine,  which  is 


182  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

to  be  explained  by  the  pastor,  according  to  the 
capacity  of  his  hearers.  It  designedly  contains 
numerous  technical  and  abstract  terms,  (1)  for 
sake  of  correctness,  (2)  for  sake  of  brevity,  (3) 
in  order  to  stimulate  the  learner  to  think  and  in- 
quire, and  (4)  to  assist  the  memory.  Yes;  even 
to  assist  the  memory;  for  it  is  well  known  to 
practical  teachers,  that  one  or  two  unfamiliar 
words  in  an  answer  make  it  more  easy  to  mem- 
orize, than  if  the  answer  were  all  composed  of 
words  in  everyday  use. 

The  selection  of  a  catechism  for  use  in  a  diocese 
belongs  to  the  bishop.  This  being  a  matter  of 
ecclesiastical  discipline,  its  discussion  does  not 
fall  within  the  scope  of  the  present  work.  Some- 
thing much  more  pertinent  is  the  respect  due  by 
pastor,  teachers,  and  pupils  alike,  to  whatever 
catechism  is  used  in  the  Sunday  School.  The  pas- 
tor or  director  should  not  find  fault  with  it  be- 
fore the  teachers ;  and  the  teachers  must  not  be 
allowed  to  criticise  it  before  the  pupils.  It  is 
both  unwise  and  unbecoming  in  one  who  instructs 
others  to  depreciate  the  class-book  which  he  puts 
into   their   hands.     He   thereby   makes   the   book 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  APPARATUS      183 

practically  useless  to  them.  And  the  pupils 
themselves  should  be  taught  to  pay  great  defer- 
ence to  the  catechism,  as  a  compendium  of  the 
Gospel  of  Jesus  Christ,  composed  by  eminent  schol- 
ars, with  the  approbation  of  ecclesiastical  author- 
ity. Every  child  should  be  taught  to  treat  it  dif- 
ferently from  other  class-books,  to  handle  it  with 
reverential  care,  and  to  keep  it,  when  not  in  use, 
in  a  place  by  itself.  These  suggestions  may  ap- 
pear trivial,  but  their  observance  is  found  to  pro- 
duce valuable  results.  That  teacher  does  not 
train  his  class  wisely,  who  permits  children  to 
make  their  catechism  that  coverless,  dog-eared, 
unsightly  thing  that  is  often  seen  in  their  hands. 

3.  Colored  pictures.  They  are  almost  indis- 
pensable in  a  Sunday  School.  No  words  of  di- 
rector or  teacher,  however  eloquent,  can  supply 
their  place  in  the  religious  education  of  a  child. 
They  image  divine  truth  to  the  imagination;  they 
stir  up  the  emotions;  and  they  powerfully  influ- 
ence the  will.  Besides,  they  attract,  and  go  far 
to  insure  a  full  attendance  every  Sunday. 

Colored  pictures  are  best.  Children  are  more 
taken  with  them   than   with  photographs   or   en- 


184  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

gravings,  because  they  more  closely  resemble  life 
and  reality.  Some  object  to  them  on  account  of 
their  unartistic  finish,  forgetting  that  we  are 
teaching  religion,  not  art;  and  that  any  distortion 
of  the  Eesthetic  sense  produced  by  them  will  be 
easily  set  right  in  after  years. 

Each  lesson  ought  to  have  a  distinct  and  appro- 
priate picture  to  illustrate  it.  As  there  is  no 
series  (as  far  as  I  know)  adapted  to  the  Balti- 
more Catechism,  the  director  will  be  obliged  to 
make  a  selection  and  arrangement  of  the  pictures 
in  hand  for  the  different  classes.  If  the  sections 
of  a  class  be  not  given  the  same  lesson,  one  pic- 
ture may  be  made  to  serve  each  division  in  turn 
on  successive  Sundays. 

The  pictures  most  suitable  for  Sunday  School 
are  of  large  size,  on  cardboard,  with  frames  open 
at  the  back,  into  which  the  pictures  may  be  slipped 
as  required.  They  are  suspended  from  poles, 
about  eight  feet  high,  set  in  the  position  most 
convenient  to  the  children. 

The  class-picture  should  be  studied  carefully 
beforehand  by  the  teacher.  The  class  will  some- 
times ask  rather  puzzling  questions  about  it,  and 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  APPARATUS  185 

will  not  be  satisfied  with  vague  or  evasive  answers. 

4.  Maps.  Some  knowledge  of  geography  is 
necessary  for  all  the  classes,  except  the  lowest. 
Even  this  should  know  in  what  direction  the  Holy 
Land  lies,  and  about  how  long  it  would  take  to 
go  there  in  a  straight  line,  traveling  at  the  rate, 
say,  of  a  hundred  miles  a  day.  The  other  classes 
will  learn  as  they  advance  its  size,  figure,  bounda- 
ries, physical  features  and  chief  cities  and  towns. 
They  will  learn  especially  the  relative  positions 
of  Jerusalem,  Nazareth,  Bethlehem,  and  Caphar- 
naum.  For  this  purpose,  a  good  map  of  Pales- 
tine is  essential.  Other  maps  will  be  needed  by 
the  Confirmation  and  Perseverance  classes. 

5.  A  hlackhoard.  Every  live  teacher  does  a 
large  portion  of  his  work  by  means  of  a  black- 
board; and  it  can  be  made  as  helpful  in  teaching 
religion  as  in  teaching  mathematics  or  any  other 
secular  subject.  But  a  practical  question  arises 
here,  when  Sunday  School  is  taught  in  church. 
Is  one  blackboard  to  supply  the  requirements  of 
all  the  classes?  or  should  there  be  one  for  each? 
The  difficulty  suggested  by  this  question  is  solved 
satisfactorily  in  one  Sunday  School  I  know,  in  the 


186  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

following  manner.  The  back  of  the  picture-frame 
already  mentioned  (22x28)  is  made  of  wood,  tin, 
or  canvas,  and  is  covered  over  with  a  composition, 
easily  procurable,  which  makes  it  answer  all  the 
purposes  of  a  blackboard.  As  each  section  is  sup- 
posed to  have  its  own  picture  frame,  it  is  enabled 
by  this  simple  expedient  to  have  also  its  own 
blackboard.  The  best  features  of  this  contrivance 
are  its  cheapness  and  convenience. 

6.  A  Sunday  School  library.  Something  has 
been  already  said  about  this  library  in  connection 
with  the  Perseverance  class;  but  it  is  quite  as 
helpful  in  most  of  the  others.  It  is  unnecessary 
to  dilate  on  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  it 
— the  Christian  ideals  it  furnishes,  the  religious 
sense  it  develops,  the  pure  atmosphere  it  creates, 
the  immense  good  it  is  capable  of  producing  in 
the  home,  the  permanent  bent  toward  the  higher 
life  it  gives  to  the  young  soul.  It  is  an  invalu- 
able help  to  the  teacher  also,  provided  he  selects 
the  books  to  be  read  by  his  class  and  takes  heed 
that  they  bear  in  some  way  on  the  matter  he  is 
teaching. 

I  am  fully  aware  that  most  parochial  libraries 


SUNDAY  SCHOOL  APPARATUS  187 

are  doomed  to  premature  death.  Members  fail 
to  pay  their  subscriptions,  lose  their  books,  want 
a  supply  of  undesirable  literature,  etc.  Notwith- 
standing all  these  and  many  other  drawbacks,  ex- 
perience proves  that  such  a  library  can  be  made 
a  permanent,  self-supporting  institution.  This  is 
especially  possible  in  case  of  a  Sunday  School 
library,  because  the  regulations  are  easily  en- 
forced. Let  it  be  a  growth.  Begin  with  the  Per- 
severance class;  and  lend  the  books  at  a  nominal 
charge,  and  only  as  a  reward  of  merit.  Select 
such  books  as  will  create  an  appetite  for  reading. 
Give  over  the  management  to  a  committee  of  the 
older  children.  Extend  the  circulation  to  the  rest 
of  the  school,  but  slowly  and  always  as  a  favor. 

This  is  not  a  place  for  details.  I  have  only  to 
assure  pastors,  that  without  a  children's  library 
much  of  their  Sunday  School  labor  will  be  fruit- 
less. The  initial  outlay  is  small.  Let  them  give 
the  scheme  a  fair  trial ;  and  if  it  comes  to  nought, 
the  books,  though  lost,  will  do  good  somewhere. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

CO-OPERATION    OF    PARENTS 

Parents  are  strictly  bound  to  cooperate  with  the 
Sunday  School  in  the  religious  education  and 
training  of  the  child.  They  are  bound  to  assist 
in  making  the  school  efficient;  they  are  bound  to 
see  that  the  child  attends  the  school  punctually 
and  regularly;  and  they  are  bound  to  make  it 
learn  the  lesson,  and  perform  the  Daily  Practice, 
and  observe  the  other  instructions,  given  in  the 
school.  The  Sunday  School  makes  no  substantial 
change  in  the  responsibilities  of  parents.  Their 
obligation  to  edify  the  child,  to  watch  over  it,  and 
to  correct  it  remains  always  the  same. 

The  fulfilment  of  those  responsibilities  will  not 
only  help  the  Sunday  School ;  but  it  is  an  integral 
part  of  the  child's  religious  education.  It  is  the 
complement  of  the  work  done  in  the  Sunday 
School,  somewhat  as  the  practice  of  the  child's 
music  lesson  during  the  day  is  the  complement  of 
188 


CO-OPERATION  OF  PARENTS  189 

the  morning  instruction  received  from  the  teacher. 
The  instruction  would  be  useless  without  the  prac- 
tice: the  Sunday  School  work  would  be  almost 
equally  so  without  home  training. 

The  Sunday  School  ought  to  do  much  to  raise 
the  moral  standard  of  the  next  generation.  It 
will  do  little,  if  the  children  taught  in  it  are  not 
reared  in  the  healthful  atmosphere — the  invigor- 
ating, inspiring  influences — of  a  well-ordered, 
Christian  home.  Of  those  influences,  the  example 
of  parents  is  the  first  and  most  important.  When 
the  child  finds  that  its  parents  are  truthful,  hon- 
est, temperate,  kind,  patient,  etc. — everything,  in 
a  word,  which  the  Sunday  School  teaches  that  a 
Christian  should  be — that  child  may  be  confi- 
dently expected  to  yield  to  the  twofold  influence 
thus  brought  to  bear  on  it,  the  influence  of  the 
two  things  it  loves  most  on  earth — the  home  and 
the  Church.  It  must  be  admitted,  however,  that 
the  trend  of  modern  society  gives  no  grounds  to 
hope  for  the  near  restoration  of  the  Christian 
home  of  the  past — for  the  awakening  of  parents 
to  the  solemn  duty  of  giving  their  children  the  ex- 
ample  of  a  beautiful   Christian   life.     The   little 


190  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

ones  that  Jesus  Christ  loves  so  much  will  be  the 
sufferers.  Our  religious  teaching  once  a  week  is 
not  strong  enough  of  itself  to  stand  against  the 
opposite  influences  of  a  disorderly  home.  In  spite 
of  all  we  do,  children  will  sooner  or  later  follow 
their  parents ;  we  shall  be  like  men  who  plant  seed 
in  an  unfeneed  field;  and  the  parents  themselves 
will  pass  into  eternity  with  the  spiritual  ruin  of 
their  children  registered  against  them. 

To  cooperate  with  the  Sunday  School,  parents 
must  not  only  give  their  children  good  example ; 
but  they  must  also  remove  ever3i;hing  in  the  home 
likely  to  scandalize  them.  And  our  Divine  Lord 
Himself  gives  the  reason :  ' '  Their  Angels  in 
Heaven  always  see  the  face  of  my  Father  who  is 
in  Heaven."  (Matt,  xviii.  10.)  Elderly  people  are 
apt  to  think  that  a  child  is  safe  in  reading  matter 
which  they  themselves  can  read  without  moral 
danger.  They  commit  the  same  error  in  regard 
to  pictures,  music,  dancing,  etc.  In  consequence, 
they  who  would  not  leave  a  razor  within  reach  of 
their  children,  leave  edged  weapons  far  more  dan- 
gerous scattered  about  the  home  without  a  thought 
of  the  fatal  wounds  they  may  inflict. 


CO-OPERATION  OF  PARENTS  191 

Besides  good  example  and  the  removal  of  sinful 
occasions,  there  are  a  few  other  ways  of  cooper- 
ating with  the  Sunday  School,  which  it  is  neces- 
sary to  urge  on  parents. 

1.  Prayer.  It  is  not  enough  to  tell  a  child  it 
should  say  its  prayers:  the  parent  is  bound  to  see 
that  it  says  them,  morning  and  evening,  at  meals, 
and  when  the  Angelus  rings.  Would  that  the 
beautiful  practice  of  saying  those  prayers  in  com- 
mon were  established  in  every  Christian  home. 
The  old  Catholic  custom  of  morning  prayers  at 
the  breakfast-table  and  the  Rosary  at  night  has 
made  many  a  home  united  and  happy. 

2.  Sunday  Scliool  work,  (a)  Study  of  les- 
son. Let  a  time  be  appointed  in  the  evening  for 
this  study.  Ten  or  fifteen  minutes  will  suffice  for 
a  child  of  ordinary  ability,  as  only  a  fifth  part  of 
the  whole  lesson  need  be  memorized  daily.  Par- 
ents may  be  assured  that  a  child  is  benefiting  by 
its  Sunday  School  work,  if  it  takes  gladly  and 
spontaneously  to  this  evening  task.  But  should  it 
show  disinclination  to  the  duty  or  urge  pretexts 
for  shirking  it,  scolding"  or  lecturing  will  be  fruit- 
less and  unwise.    It  will  be  far  better  for  one  of 


192  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

them — say,  the  mother — to  take  the  catechism  and 
go  over  the  few  lines  to  be  memorized  along  with 
the  child,  laying  a  small  wager,  that  she  will  "get 
them  by  heart"  first.  "When  the  lesson  is  learned, 
and  the  little  one,  having  won  the  bet,  is  glowing 
with  self-satisfaction,  a  few  kind  words  will  be 
said  about  the  pleasure  that  always  follows  from 
doing  what  is  right  promptly  and  cheerfully. 

(b)  The  Daily  Practice.  Let  parents  never 
forget  to  ask  the  child  what  is  the  Daily  Prac- 
tice for  the  week;  and  let  them  see  that  it  is 
observed.  Yet  care  must  be  taken  that  it  be  not 
considered  a  penance.  Performed  against  the 
grain  and  under  pressure,  it  will  do  no  permanent 
good.  Therefore  parents  and  directors  must  make 
its  performance  as  easy  and  pleasant  as  possible. 

(c)  What  the  child  heard.  A  child,  interested 
in  the  work  of  the  Sunday  School,  will  be  eager  to 
tell  all  about  it  when  it  returns  home.  Let  it 
have  every  encouragement  to  do  so.  Its  impres- 
sions of  what  was  taught  will  be  made  thereby 
clearer  and  deeper;  and  probably  mistakes  and 
misunderstandings  will  be  brought  out  that  need 
correction. 


CO-OPERATION  OF  PARENTS  193 

3.  Consvliation  with  director.  Parents,  ear- 
nestly intent  on  the  Christian  education  of  their 
child,  will  give  the  director  all  the  help  in  their 
power  to  secure  this  end.  They  will  help  him  not 
only  by  the  religious  and  moral  influences  with 
which  they  will  surround  the  child;  but,  more  di- 
rectly still,  by  making  him  acquainted  with  its 
unfolding  character — its  dispositions,  tendencies, 
good  and  bad  points,  general  conduct.  Such 
knowledge  is  almost  indispensable  to  everyone  en- 
gaged in  the  religious  education  and  training  of 
the  young.  In  return,  a  director  will  give  par- 
ents valuable  help  for  the  training  of  their  child, 
by  the  suggestions  which  his  larger  experience 
will  enable  him  to  offer.  This  combined,  harmo- 
nious action  of  home  and  school  may  be  trusted, 
with  the  aid  of  divine  grace,  to  produce  the  happi- 
est results. 


CHAPTER  XX 

RELIGION    IN    THE    CATHOLIC    SCHOOL 

Our  parochial  schools,  as  well  as  our  academies 
and  colleges,  are  increasing  fast,  thanks  to  the 
strong,  practical  faith  of  our  people.  With  their 
continued  increase,  the  Sunday  School  will  become 
less  and  less  necessary,  at  least  for  the  formal 
teaching  of  religion. — This  will  be  abundantly 
supplied  by  the  daily  lesson  in  Christian  doctrine, 
which  forms  an  essential  element  in  our  Catholic 
schools. 

The  day,  however,  is  far  off,  when  every  Cath- 
olic parish  in  the  land  will  have  its  Catholic 
school.  Therefore,  for  a  long  time  to  come,  the 
Sunday  School  will  be  the  only  means  of  educa- 
ting and  training  a  large  number  of  our  children 
in  their  religion.  And  as  long  as  it  is  necessary, 
suggestions  for  its  greater  efficiency  will  be  oppor- 
tune and  helpful. 

To  make  such  suggestions  is  the  main  purpose 
194 


EELIGION  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  SCHOOL       195 

of  this  work.  In  writing  it,  however  I  have  had 
in  view  a  still  larger  purpose,  namely,  to  adapt 
its  principles,  rules,  and  methods  to  the  religious 
education  and  training  of  children  in  our  day- 
schools,  as  well  as  in  our  academies  and  colleges. 
I  now  proceed  to  show  how  this  adaptation  can  be 
made;  or,  in  other  words,  how  to  make  the  half 
hour's  instruction  in  Christian  doctrine  not  only 
convey  an  adequate  knowledge  of  religion,  but  in- 
spire a  love  of  it,  incite  to  the  practice  of  it,  and, 
as  far  as  may  be,  train  in  its  duties,  on  the  lines 
laid  down  in  these  pages.  It  is  evident  that  if 
this  can  be  done,  it  ought  to  be  done — especially 
if  it  does  not  add  much  to  the  work  of  the  teacher. 

1.  It  is  absolutely  necessary  that  the  teacher 
have  an  adequate  idea  of  the  object  of  the  Chris- 
tian doctrine  class.  He  must  aim  at  making  his 
children  not  only  know  their  religion,  but  also 
love  and  practise  it.  In  all  his  instructions,  he 
must  keep  this  threefold  aim  in  view. 

2.  The  distinctively  religious  character  of  the 
class  is  to  be  so  impressed  on  the  children's  minds, 
that  they  will  regard  the  half  hour's  exercise  in 
the  light  of  a  church  service.     Yet,  the  exercise 


196  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

must  be  bright,  pleasant,  interesting,  attractive — 
everything  calculated  to  open  and  dispose  the 
young  mind  and  heart  for  the  truths  taught. 
Even  for  naughty  children,  that  half  hour  is  to 
be  a  "Truce  of  God." — All  punishments  are  to 
be  suspended;  nay,  sometimes,  wholly  remitted. 
The  room  is  turned  into  an  oratory  for  the  occa- 
sion ;  all  books,  slates,  and  papers  are  to  be  put  out 
of  sight;  and  the  walls  are  to  be  covered  with  re- 
ligious pictures,  each  having  a  suggestion  and  an. 
inspiration  of  its  own  for  the  class.  With  prac- 
tice and  organization,  this  change  is  made  and  un- 
made in  a  few  minutes;  and  the  effect  is  most 
helpful  to  the  teacher. 

3.  In  the  order  of  exercises  given  in  the  sev- 
enteenth chapter,  prayer  holds  the  first  and  the 
last  place.  So  it  should  be  here.  At  the  begin- 
ning, I  would  have  the  Our  Father  recited  with 
pauses;  and  the  Hail  Mary  at  the  end — nothing 
more.  I  would  give  the  Prayer-class  a  definite 
and  easily  intelligible  meaning  for  each  petition 
and  clause  of  these  prayers  before  permitting  their 
recital,  and  I  would  set  my  face  sternly  against 
all    routine   prayer.     I   would   train    children    to 


RELIGION  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  SCHOOL       197 

mean  what  they  say,  and  to  say  only  what  they 
mean,  when  they  speak  to  God,  or  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  the  saints.  I  would,  in  an  especial 
manner  and  with  endless  repetition,  teach  them 
to  remember  when  they  go  to  pray,  that  God  is 
present,  and  is  listening  to  them,  and  is  as  much 
displeased  with  inattention  and  disresprect,  as  a 
father  would  be  with  the  same  faults  in  a  child 
who  came  to  ask  him  for  something. — I  would  con- 
sider my  duty  of  religious  instruction  more  than 
half  done,  as  soon  as  I  had  taught  my  class  to 
pray  well.     . 

4.  Useful  as  hymns  are,  I  would  not  interrupt 
the  work  of  this  class  with  them.  The  time  is  too 
short.  Let  another  hour  be  appointed  for  them; 
or  let  one  of  the  classes  be  given  weekly  to  them. 

5.  The  Daily  Practice  must  never  be  omitted. 
To  save  time,  it  may  be  made  in  this  simple  way: 
"Children,  you  remember  what  the  Daily 
Practice  is?"  ''Yes;  Kindness."  ''Very  good. 
Now,  let  each  of  you  think  for  a  moment  whether 
he  has  practised  kindness  to  those  around  him 
since  yesterday  morning.  ...  let  us  say  the 
Confiteor,  all  together,  and  slowly,  for  any  faults 


198  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

we  may  have  committed  against  the  virtue  of 
kindness. ' ' 

6.  The  next  three  exercises — ^the  Review  of  the 
last  lesson,  the  Eecitation  of  the  present  lesson, 
and  the  Explanation  of  the  next  lesson — are  so 
closely  related,  that  I  will  speak  of  them  together. 
The  idea  is,  to  bring  the  matter  of  each  lesson 
three  times  before  the  soul  of  the  child.  For  ex- 
ample :  in  Monday  morning 's  class,  I  give  an  Ex- 
planation of  Tuesday's  lesson;  on  Tuesday  morn- 
ing, I  have  a  Recitation  of  it;  and  on  Wednesday 
morning,  I  make  a  Review  of  it.  On  Monday 
morning,  however,  I  do  not  occupy  all  the  time 
with  the  Explanation  of  Tuesday's  lesson.  I  have 
a  lesson  for  the  morning,  memorized  at  home  and 
to  be  recited  in  class.  Nor  does  the  Explanation 
of  Tuesday's,  and  the  Recitation  of  Monday's, 
lesson  take  up  the  whole  half  hour.  I  give  part 
of  the  time  to  a  Review  of  the  last  lesson  recited 
on  Friday  or  Saturday  morning.  In  this  way,  I 
bring  three  distinct  lessons  before  the  children  in 
each  class;  and  I  go  over  each  of  these  lessons 
three  times,  in  three  successive  classes. 

There  .is  nothing  novel  in  this  arrangement  of 


RELIGION  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  SCHOOL       199 

class-work;  as  it  is  simply  the  application  of  two 
recognized  principles  of  child-teaching — Kepeti- 
tion  and  Variety.  But,  strange  to  say:  the  nov- 
elty consists  in  requiring  the  teacher  to  teach. 
At  present,  in  too  many  cases,  he  hears  a  recita- 
tion, marks  for  correct  answering,  appoints  a  new 
lesson;  and  then  passes  to  what  he  considers  the 
business  of  the  day.  Now,  I  would  ask,  what 
teaching  is  there  in  hearing  a  recitation?  As- 
suredly, none.  Where,  then,  does  the  teaching  of 
vital  religion,  not  to  speak  of  training  in  it,  ap- 
pear in  the  curriculum  of  many  of  our  parochial 
schools?  You  will  say  in  the  daily  instructions 
given  by  the  pastor.  But  I  speak  of  schools  in 
which  the  pastor  entrusts  the  entire  religious  in- 
struction of  his  children  to  the  teachers  and  the 
teachers  content  themselves  with  hearing  the  reci- 
tations of  the  catechism  lesson.  Of  course,  those 
teachers  from  time  to  time  will  tell  their  children 
to  be  good,  and  to  say  their  prayers,  and  they  will 
give  them  pious  pictures,  perhaps  also  Rosaries 
and  Scapulars.  But  they  make  no  attempt  to  en- 
graft on  their  souls  the  living  and  effectual  word 
of  God,  to  develop  in  them  the  latent  seeds  of  the 


200  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

divine  and  moral  virtues,  to  equip  them  with  such 
a  knowledge  of  their  religion  as  will  enable  them 
to  give  an  intelligent  account  of  it  to  outsiders. 

Every  Catholic  teacher  ought  to  be  able  and 
willing  to  give  their  class  an  adequate  practical 
knowledge  of  religion,  to  inspire  them  with  love 
of  it,  and  to  do  all  that  their  position  enables 
them,  to  train  in  the  practice  of  it.  To  do  this 
on  the  lines  I  have  laid  down  for  Sunday  School 
teachers,  they  will  have  to  study  carefully  the 
directions  given  in  Chapters  7,  8,  and  9.  It  is 
not  advisable  that  they  should  do  more,  at  first, 
than  to  prepare  themselves  to  explain  the  mean- 
ing of  hard  words  and  to  give  a  simple  para- 
phrase of  the  answers.  After  some  time,  their 
reading  will  enable  them  to  give  comparisons  and 
examples  by  which  the  truth  explained  may  be 
impressed  on  the  imagination.  Their  own  ex- 
perience will  tell  them,  that  something  more  is 
still  necessary  to  bring  the  truth  in  touch  with 
the  conscience.  It  has  to  be  appropriated,  real- 
ized, made  a  present,  living,  imperative  issue. 
This  is  done  by  repeating  to  the  child  over  and 
over,  that  all  God's  loving  kindness  to  the  world 


RELIGION  IN  THE  CATHOLIC  SCHOOL       201 

is  intended  for  each  one  individually,  **This 
truth  is  for  my  enlightenment;  this  Sacrament  is 
for  my  sanctifieation ;  this  Commandment  is  for 
my  guidance."  Such  consideration,  of  itself,  will 
appeal  to  the  child's  emotional  nature;  and  other 
appeals  will  be  suggested  by  the  particular  char- 
acter of  the  truth.  These  are  presented  in  a  few 
unstudied  words;  and  in  a  few  more,  if  the  truth 
explained  admit  it,  a  practical  application  is  made 
of  it  for  the  child's  moral  guidance. 

There  is  to  be  no  sermonizing  in  this  concrete 
and  emotional  presentment  and  practical  applica- 
tion. The  teacher  will  bear  in  mind  that  he  is  but 
a  sower  of  the  seed,  and  that  a  long  and  anxious 
time  must  intervene  before  he  can  expect  to  see 
any  visible  growth,  and  much  less  the  golden  fruit 
of  his  labors.  After  God's  blessing,  which  alone 
gives  increase,  what  he  has  to  rely  on  most  is,  the 
cumulative  effect  of  his  daily  appeal  to  the  imag- 
ination, feelings  and  conscience. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

A   CATHOLIC  REVIVAL 

The  whole  success  of  a  Sunday  School  depends 
on  three  factors — the  pastor,  the  parents  and  the 
teachers.  Where  these  three  cooperate,  the  chil- 
dren will  respond  and  grow,  year  after  year,  in 
the  knowledge,  love  and  practice  of  their  religion. 
Where  one  or  other  of  them  acts  independently 
or  lies  by  as  a  sleeping  partner,  there  the  work 
will  be  ill  done  and  the  result  unsatisfactory. 

The  cooperation  of  the  pastor  may  be  taken  for 
granted.  He  will  do  his  part  faithfully  and  zeal- 
ously. He  will  gather  in  all  the  children  of  the 
parish,  secure  and  train  an  adequate  supply  of 
teachers,  and  urge  parents,  as  a  most  sacred  duty, 
to  second  him  by  example,  supervision,  correction, 
and  active  interest,  in  the  religious  development 
of  their  children.  Furthermore,  he  will  attend 
the  school,  Sunday  after  Sunday,  give  a  short  ad- 
202 


A  CATHOLIC  REVIVAL  203 

clre~3,  an  J  s:o  r.:.t  l-.e  work  is  clone  systematically 
and  cfr.clcr/J--. 

But  v.i.l  i^rircnts  and  teachers  give  him  their 
hearty  c^"pcr?.tIon?  AVill  they  persevere  in  giv- 
ing it?  Yrill  the  Sunday  School,  started  on  the 
broad  lines  I  have  laid  down,  live  through  the 
many  obstacles  it  will  encounter — reaction,  mis- 
understandings, dissensions,  vicious  or  disorderly 
homes,  &c.  ?  The  answer  depends,  first  of  all,  on 
Divine  help,  which  surely  will  not  be  refused  to 
humble  earnest  prayer.  Divine  help,  however, 
will  not  do  everything  for  us:  we  must  do  all  we 
can  for  ourselves.  Therefore,  a  pastor  must  find 
out  and  implant  in  parents  and  teachers  such 
principles  and  motives  of  cooperation  as  will  out- 
last temporary  enthusiasm  and  overcome  the  in- 
evitable drawbacks  of  selfish  interests  and  pas- 
sions. **The  child  is  an  embodiment  and  revela- 
tion of  Divine  Goodness;  it  is  very  dear  to  Jesus 
Christ;  the  future  of  the  Church  depends  on  its 
religious  education  and  training;  an  eternal  re- 
ward is  promised  for  instructing  it  to  justice:" — 
if  these  supernatural  truths  and  the  motives  im- 
plied in  them  be  once  rooted  in  Catholic  hearts, 


204  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

parents  and  teachers  will  do  their  part,  and  the 
permanence  and  efficiency  of  the  Sunday  School 
will  be  secured. 

But  that  such  motives  be  realized  and  acted  on, 
they  must  not  be  isolated  spiritual  impressions, 
coexistent  with  depraved  habits  or  an  unchristian 
standard  of  life.  They  must  be  part  of  the  reno- 
vation of  the  whole  being  in  Christ ;  and  this,  part 
of  a  Catholic  revival  throughout  the  whole  com- 
munity. We  are  capable  of  better  things  than  we 
are  doing — of  a  higher,  more  consistent,  more  in- 
telligent Christian  life  than  we  are  living.  Our 
faith,  our  assurance  of  a  future  life,  prayer,  Mass, 
Sacraments,  sermons  and  instructions  by  men  di- 
vinely appointed  to  the  office — these  should  mark 
us  as  "a  chosen  generation,  a  kingly  priesthood,  a 
holy  nation,  a  purchased  people."  In  politics, 
business,  social  intercourse,  as  well  as  in  questions 
of  the  day,  we  should  stand  together  on  the  side 
of  Jesus  Christ,  and  take  our  principles  from  His 
Gospel. — In  the  home  especially,  we  should  give 
evidence  of  the  vital  energy  of  our  faith. 

The  need  of  such  a  revival  comes  home  daily  with 
sorrow  and  pain  to  every  zealous  pastor.     He  has 


A  CATHOLIC  REVIVAL  205 

knowledge  of  nominal  Catholics  whose  civic  con- 
duct brings  dishonor  on  the  Church.  He  has 
knowledge  of  traditional  Catholics  whose  religion 
consists  mostly  in  thanking  God  they  are  not  like 
other  men.  He  has  knowledge  of  devotional  Cath- 
olics without  intelligence,  and  of  intellectual  Cath- 
olics without  devotion.  Worst  of  all,  he  has 
knowledge  of  "Liberal"  Catholics,  who,  scarcely 
believing  the  elementary  truths  of  faith,  speak  of 
the  superstition  of  the  Dark  Ages,  the  bigotry  and 
absolutism  of  Rome,  and  the  enfranchisement  of 
the  Christian  conscience  from  dogmatic  fetters. 
Men  and  women  like  these  are  a  dead  weight  on 
the  activities  of  the  Church.  They  shut  out  her 
light  and  attractiveness  for  non-Catholics.  They 
cannot  be  relied  on  for  intelligent  cooperation  in 
any  religious  work. 

A  Catholic  revival  has  been  already  inaugu- 
rated at  the  center  of  all  ecclesiastical  energy. 
Leo  the  Thirteenth,  with  far-seeing  wisdom,  ex- 
horted the  Catholic  world  to  reconstitute  the 
Christian  home  on  the  model  of  the  Holy  Family 
of  Nazareth.  Following  in  his  footsteps,  our  pres- 
ent Pontiff  Pius  the  Tenth,  having  taken  for  his 


206  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

motto  the  inspiring  words:  "Instaurare  omnia 
in  Christo — to  re-establish  all  things  in  Christ," — 
has  within  a  few  years  urged  spirituality  in  the 
seminary,  the  Gospel  in  the  pulpit,  and  an  open 
Tabernacle  for  the  faithful.  These  measures, 
loyally  carried  out,  contain  all  the  elements  of  the 
most  drastic  reform.  They  secure  to  the  Church 
an  apostolic,  not  a  doctrinaire,  priesthood,  and  a 
laity  fed,  intellectually  and  spiritually,  on  the  In- 
carnate Word. 

A  Catholic  revival  will  lead  to  Catholic  organi- 
zations, not  for  recreative  or  utilitarian,  but  for 
charitable  and  religious,  purposes.  It  will  in  par- 
ticular inspire  our  young  men  with  a  public,  co- 
operative spirit  that  will  find  vent  not  only  in  the 
discussion  of  social  and  economic  questions  from 
a  Catholic  standpoint,  but  in  much  practical  local 
work  which  their  pastor  will  cheerfully  intrust  to 
them. 

The  time  is  come  for  our  Catholic  young  men 
to  awaken  to  the  power  they  have  of  largely  shap- 
ing the  future  destiny  of  the  Church  in  this  coun- 
try. Let  them  take  the  initiative  themselves; 
organize  under  the  sanction  of   ecclesiastical  au- 


A  CATHOLIC  REVIVAL  207 

thority;  begin  with  the  study  of  the  burning  ques- 
tions of  the  day;  invite  Catholic  specialists  to 
address  them  from  time  to  time;  practise  debating 
among  themselves;  and  thus  prepare  themselves 
to  enter  as  loyal  Catholics  into  the  public  life  of 
the  nation. 

Such  a  movement  has  been  growing  in  France 
for  the  last  twenty  years;  and  many  look  to  it  as 
the  solitary  gleam  of  hope  for  the  church  of  that 
country.  The  following  account  of  the  organiza- 
tion is  transcribed  here,  to  show  the  vast  growth 
of  which  a  similar  organization  would  be  capable 
in  this  country.* 

"One  of  the  most  important  of  these  (social 
works  inaugurated  or  carried  on  by  young  men) 
is  the  Association  CatJiolique  de  la  Jeunesse  Fran- 
caise,  founded  in  1886  by  Count  Albert  de  Mun 
and  half  a  dozen  young  men.  They  held  their 
first  meeting  at  an  old  house  in  the  Kue  du  Bac 
where  the  saintly  Mgr.  Segur  had  worked  and 
died.  The  Association  spread  rapidly.  In  four- 
teen months  it  embraced  some  twenty  groups,  rep- 

*  Dublin  Review,  July,  1906.  "Catholic  Social  Effort  in 
France." 


208  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

resenting  about  a  thousand  members.  In  a  very- 
few  more  years  we  find  eight  thousand  of  its  mem- 
bers gathered  for  a  religious  celebration  in  Notre 
Dame,  and  fifteen  hundred  on  a  pilgrimage  to 
Rome.  In  1894  came  a  brief  of  approval  from 
the  Holy  Father;  while  the  last  three  years  have 
been  marked  by  important  congresses,  of  which 
more  hereafter.  It  now  numbers  some  fifteen  hun- 
dred groups  and  seventy  thousand  members. 

"Its  organization  and  programme  have  become 
more  clearly  defined  as  its  numbers  and  influence 
have  increased.  It  consists  of  a  federation  of  au- 
tonomous groups  in  town  and  country.  Each 
group  yearly  elects  one  of  its  members  to  repre- 
sent it  upon  the  federal  council.  The  council,  in 
turn,  elects  every  second  year  a  general  committee 
consisting  of  a  president,  a  vice-president,  a  sec- 
retary, an  almoner,  four  "chiefs  of  sections"  and 
other  officials.  The  "chiefs  of  sections,"  upon 
whom  most  of  the  work  falls,  deal  respectively 
with  exterior  communications,  intercourse  between 
the  groups,  finance  and  literature.  This  central 
machinery,  together  with  the  excellent  fortnightly 
publication,   Ammles   de   la   Jeunesse   CathoUque, 


A  CATHOLIC  REVIVAL  209 

keeps   the   groups   in   touch   aud   gives   unity   of 
spirit  and  aim  to  the  whole  body. 

"Yet  the  groups  retain  their  autonomy,  and 
even  support  a  score  of  local  publications.  They 
represent  every  stratum  of  society  in  town  and 
country.  The  Association  is,  in  fact,  not  so  much 
an  oeuvre,  as  a  grouping  of  young  and  active  good 
wills  throughout  the  country.  It  encourages  its 
members  to  take  up  any  social  work  for  which 
their  character  and  environment  fit  them, 

"The  tendencies  of  the  Association  towards 
social  work  has  become  more  and  more  pronounced 
every  year.  Even  in  its  earliest  statutes  we  find 
its  purpose  thus  defined:  Its  object  is  to  co- 
operate in  the  re-establishment  of  the  Christian 
social  order.  Its  principles  are  submission  to  the 
authority  of  the  Church  and  perfect  adhesion  to 
her  teachings,  especially  in  all  matters  connected 
with  the  social  and  economic  orders.  Its  methods 
are  Christian  devotion,  and  mutual  study  and  sup- 
port among  its  members." 

When  will  the  Church,  the  home,  the  school  and 
college  in  this  country  develop  such  public  Cath- 
olic spirit  in  the  young  as  will  make  similar  asso- 


210  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

ciations  possible  among  us?  The  time  will  surely- 
come;  for  God  has  been  always  singularly  gra- 
cious to  the  American  Church.  But  its  coming 
will  be,  not  through  miraculous  intervention,  but 
rather  from  small  beginnings  seconded  by  grace, 
enlightening,  stimulating,  strengthening  and  sus- 
taining individual  pastors  in  the  work. 

And  when  the  time  comes,  what  a  harbinger 
those  Associations  of  Catholic  Youth  will  be  of 
growth  and  perpetuity  in  our  Church!  What  a 
blessing  they  will  bring  to  the  homes  from  which 
they  will  have  been  recruited !  What  a  help  they 
will  be  to  pastors  in  the  Sunday  School  and  other 
parochial  work!  Above  all,  what  an  inspiring, 
invigorating  influence  they  will  be  to  the  com- 
munity in  which  they  are  established,  and  to  the 
nation  which  they  leaven ! 


CHAPTER  XXII 

THE  DIVINE  TEACHER 

A  last  word:  The  Supreme  Teacher  in  the 
Sunday  School  is  Jesus  Christ.  "While  we  are 
speaking  to  the  ear  of  the  child,  His  Spirit  is 
speaking  to  its  heart,  breathing  on  it  and  warm- 
ing it  into  active  spiritual  life.  "Suffer  the  little 
children  to  come  unto  Me."  Yes;  that  is  pre- 
cisely our  mission — to  show  them  Jesus,  so  Beau- 
tiful, so  Good,  so  Gracious,  Lovable  and  "Winning; 
to  open  the  way  to  Him,  and  clear  it  of  obstacles, 
and  then  say  to  them:  "Run  to  him,  dearest;  He 
is  your  best  Friend." 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  Supreme  Teacher.  "We  pre- 
pare the  soil,  and  scatter  the  dormant  seeds  of 
revealed  truth  upon  it ;  but  the  vital  organic  union 
and  growth,  His  Spirit  alone  can  effect.  Dens 
autem  incrementum  dedit.  "We  tell  of  the  unseen 
— of  God  walking  here  among  us,  of  man's  eman- 
cipation, of  faith,  repentance  and  love,  justifica- 

211 


212  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

tion  and  salvation;  but  who  will  believe  our  re- 
port, unless  the  Spirit  of  Wisdom  enlightens  the 
eyes  of  the  heart,  that  those  we  teach  may  know 
what  is  the  hope  of  their  calling,  and  the  riches  of 
the  glory  in  store  for  them,  and  the  exceeding 
greatness  of  the  power  revealed  in  their  Redemp- 
tion and  sanctification  ? 

Jesus  Christ  is  the  Supreme  Teacher;  and  we 
are  but  His  assistants.  Let  us  recognize  our  place, 
and  not  rob  Him  of  the  glory  of  His  work.  "The 
humility  of  science"  is  among  the  latest  conclu- 
sions of  human  philosophy.  The  humility  of  life 
— the  "Non  nobis,  Domine"  of  the  psalmist — is 
the  fundamental  lesson  of  Christian  faith.  It 
drew  the  regard  of  God  on  a  Jewish  Maiden,  and 
she  became  an  agent  in  the  world's  enlightenment 
and  regeneration.  In  a  narrower  sphere, — in  the 
prairie  mission  or  the  city  parish — it  will  be 
blessed  with  similar  results.  Probably,  we  shall 
not  live  to  see  the  harvest — to  see  the  child  here 
before  us  grown  to  a  strong,  chaste,  healthful  man- 
hood, proud  of  his  Church,  loyal  to  her  teachings, 
sharing  in  her  ministrations,  upright,  trustworthy, 
broad,    intelligent,    sympathetic,    in    varied   touch 


THE  DIVINE  TEACHER  213 

with  life,  blessed  by  all  in  need  of  a  helping  hand, 
and  blessed  still  more  by  the  many  whom  his  sim- 
ple statement  of  Catholic  truth,  enforced  by  his 
noble  life,  will  have  led  from  the  dreary  darkness 
of  unbelief  into  the  marvellous  light  of  the  Gos- 
pel. We  may  not  live  to  see  this  or  other  golden 
fruit  of  our  humble  ministry  in  the  Sunday 
School.  But  is  it  not  cheering  and  inspiring  to 
know  that  the  fruit  shall  be  there,  and  that  our 
race  shall  be  the  better  for  it,  and  that  the  good 
we  brought  to  that  young  man  will,  with  God's 
grace,  be  multiplied  in  his  children  and  go  on 
spreading  in  widening  circles,  till  its  impulse  be 
lost  at  the  foot  of  the  Throne  of  Judgment. 

We  are  but  assistants  of  the  Supreme  Teacher; 
yet  He  rewards  us  as  if  the  work  were  wholly  ours. 
And  He  rewards  us  for  it  independently  of  its 
results.  Think  of  a  servant  offered  fabulous 
wages  for  one  hour's  work  in  the  week,  with  the 
assurance  that  the  wages  shall  be  continued 
though  the  work  prove  fruitless.  What  servant 
would  refuse  to  work  on  such  terms? — Alas,  the 
servants  of  the  Great  King  do  refuse.  There  are 
parishes    in   Avhich    Catholics    decline   to    interest 


214  THE  CATHOLIC  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

themselves  or  to  cooperate  in  Sunday  School  work. 
Surely,  that  is  not  a  saving  faith — the  faith  that 
is  insensible,  not  only  to  the  duty,  but  to  the  in- 
effable happiness,  of  helping  little  children  to 
Jesus  Christ.  In  the  plan  of  Redemption,  no  man 
can  ordinarily  save  his  soul,  except  by  helping  his 
brother-man  according  to  means,  need,  and  op- 
portunity. Now,  there  is  no  help  we  can  give 
more  blessed,  than  to  bring  the  little  child  to 
Jesus,  that  it  may  know  Him  and  love  Him.  Woe, 
then,  to  the  parish  that  leaves  the  pastor  to  do 
this  work  singlehanded ;  and  woe  to  the  man  or 
woman  whose  only  excuse  for  indifference  is  the 
excuse  of  Cain:  "Am  I  my  brother's  keeper!" 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  Supreme  Teacher.  "Why 
should  we  be  discouraged  by  apparent  failure? 
He  sees  into  the  future  lives  of  these  children,  now 
so  wilful  and  unpromising.  He  sees  that  many 
of  them  will  not  come  to  Him  for  a  long  time,  and 
that  many  more,  after  coming,  will  drift  away 
from  Him  and  repay  His  love  with  forgetfulness 
and  ingratitude.  He  sees  the  obstacles  they  will 
encounter;  the  evil  dispositions  and  tendencies, 
transmitted    through    countless    generations,    that 


THE  DIVINE  TEACHER  215 

will  ripen  into  evil  acts  and  habits ;  the  high  fever 
in  the  blood  that  will  run  its  course.  These  vicis- 
situdes and  much  more  He  sees  in  the  life  of  the 
child;  and  yet  He  goes  on  loving  it,  and  helping 
it,  teaching  it,  working  with  it,  hovering  round  it 
with  all  the  anxious  love  of  a  mother.  Who,  then, 
are  we  to  despair,  because,  forsooth,  the  seed  we 
planted  yesterday  is  not  springing  from  the  soil 
to-day?  Our  teaching  of  that  child  is  but  the 
least  part  of  its  life.  This  least  part  Jesus  Christ 
entrusts  to  us,  taking  all  the  rest  on  Himself.  Pa- 
tiently, hopefully,  lovingly  He  does  the  greater 
work:  patiently,  hopefully,  lovingly  He  expects 
us  to  do  the  little  He  condescends  to  ask  of  us. 

And  we  will  do  it  with  generous  self-devotion. 
And  we  will  help  to  raise  up  a  Catholic  genera- 
tion, such  as  made  Rome  Christian  and  may  make 
America  the  brightest  glory  of  the  Church  of 
Christ. 


APPENDIX 

Encyclical  Letter  of  Pius  X.,  by  Divine  Providence 

Pope,  to  the  Bishops  of  the  Universal 

Church  on  the  Teaching  op 

Christian  Doctrine. 

To  His  Venerable  Brothers,  the  Patriarchs,  Pri- 
mates, Archbishops,  Bishops  and  other  Ordi- 
naries HAVING  PEACE  AND  UNION  WITH  THE  ApOS- 

tolic  See,  Pius  P.  P.  X.   sends  Greeting  and 
Benediction. 

Venerable  Brothers: 

In  this  extremely  distressing  and  difficult  time  tne 
hidden  desig-ns  of  God  have  imposed  on  our  slender 
strength  the  office  of  Supreme  Pastor  over  the  imiversal 
flock  of  Christ.  The  hardship  is  great  because  the  enemy 
has  long  been  prowling  around  the  flock  and  with  subtle 
cunning  has  endeavored  to  bring  havoc  upon  it,  succeed- 
ing to  such  an  extent  that  more  than  ever  what  the  Apos- 
tle wrote  to  the  ancients  of  the  Church  of  Ephesus 
seems  to  be  realized :  "  I  know  that  ravening  wolves  will 
enter  among  you,  not  sparing  the  flock."  ^ 

Those  among  us  who  are  prompted  by  zeal  for  the 

lActs  XX,  29. 

217 


218  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

glory  of  God  and  who  seek  for  the  reasons  of  the  pres- 
ent decay  of  religion  ascribe  it  to  various  causes,  and 
each,  according  to  his  own  views,  adopts  different  meth- 
ods in  the  endeavor  to  protect  and  restore  the  king- 
dom of  God  on  earth.  To  Us,  Venerable  Brethren,  with- 
out rejecting  the  opinions  of  others,  it  seems  we  must 
agree  with  the  judgment  of  those  who  attribute  the  re- 
missness, or  rather  the  intellectual  debility  of  our  times 
■ —  a  condition  from  which  such  grave  evils  arise  —  chiefly 
to  ignorance  of  divine  things.  There  seems  in  our  days 
to  be  a  recurrence  of  what  God  said  by  the  mouth  of  the 
Prophet  Oseas :  "  There  is  no  knowledge  of  God  in  the 
land.  Cursing  and  lying  and  killing  and  theft  have 
overflowed  and  blood  hath  touched  blood.  Therefore 
shall  the  land  mourn,  and  eveiy  one  that  dwelleth  in  it 
shall  languish."  ^ 

In  fact,  in  our  age  it  is  a  common  and  alas!  not  an 
unjust  complaint  that  there  are  a  great  many  Christian 
people  who  are  in  the  densest  ignorance  about  what  con- 
cerns their  eternal  salvation.  Nor  when  We  say  Chris- 
tian people  do  We  refer  to  the  humbler  classes,  who 
often  may  find  an  excuse  for  their  ignorance  in  the 
fact  that  the  hard  rule  of  their  harsh  masters  does  not 
leave  them  the  opportunity  to  attend  to  themselves  or 
permit  the  disposal  of  their  time ;  hut  We  speak  espe- 
ciallj'^  of  those  who  are  not  lacking  in  intellectual  culture, 
nay,  who  are  often  notably  conspicuous  for  knowledge 
in  profane  science,  but  who  in  religious  matters  pasf 
their  lives  in  thoughtlessness  and  unconcern.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to   explain   in   what  dense   darkness  they   are  in- 

1  Osee  iv,  1. 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE        219 

volved,  and,  what  is  worse,  in  what  heedlessness  they 
live.  Of  God,  the  Supreme  Ruler  and  Author  of  all 
things,  of  the  teaching  of  Christianity  they  have  never 
a  thought.  They  know  nothing  of  the  Incarnation ; 
nothing  of  God's  perfect  renovation  of  the  human  race; 
nothing  of  Grace,  which  is  especially  required  for  the 
attainment  of  things  eternal ;  nothing  of  the  august 
Sacx-ifice  of  the  Mass,  or  of  the  Sacraments  by  which 
we  acquire  and  retain  divine  grace.  Of  the  wicked- 
ness and  foulness  of  sin  they  have  no  appreciation; 
and  hence  no  care  to  avoid  or  to  withdraw  from  it; 
and  they  arrive  at  the  portals  of  death  in  such  a  con- 
dition that  the  priest,  not  to  dispel  all  hope  of  sal- 
vation, is  compelled  to  sum  up  and  teach  the  very  ele- 
ments of  religious  truth,  instead  of  devoting  those  last 
moments  to  fostering  sentiments  of  love  of  God  in  the 
soul.  Often,  it  is  not  even  that,  and,  as  too  frequently 
happens,  the  dying  man,  in  his  reprehensible  ignorance, 
regards  the  ministrations  of  the  priest  as  unnecessary, 
and  persuades  himself  that  he  can  enter  on  the  dreadful 
road  of  eternity  with  a  tranquil  mind  and  face  the  anger 
of  God,  whom  he  has  not  thought  it  necessaiy  to  pro- 
pitiate. Fittingly  has  it  been  said  by  Our  Predecessor, 
Benedict  XIV. :  "  We  declare  that  the  greater  part  of 
those  who  are  damned  have  brought  the  calamity  on 
themselves  by  ignorance  of  the  mysteries  of  the  faith, 
which  they  should  have  known  and  believed,  in  order  to 
be  united  with  the  elect." 

Hence,  Venerable  Brothers,  why  should  we  wonder 
that  not  only  among  savage  peoples,  but  even  in  those 
nations  which  are  still  spoken  of   as  Christian,   there 


220  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

should  be  such  a  widespread  and  ever-increasing  cor- 
ruption of  morals  and  depravity  of  life'?  The  Apostle 
Paul,  writing  to  the  Ephesians,  said :  "  Fornication,  and 
all  uncleanness  and  eovetousness,  let  it  not  be  so  much  as 
named  among  you,  as  becomes  saints;  or  obscenity  or 
foolish  talking."  ^ 

Now,  the  foundation  of  this  holmess  and  purity  of 
soul,  which  are  to  hold  evil  desires  in  check,  is,  as  the 
Apostle  declared,  the  knowledge  of  divine  things: 
"  See,  therefore,  brethren,  how  you  walk  circumspectly, 
not  as  unwise,  but  as  wise.  Therefore  become  not  un- 
wise, but  imderstanding  what  is  the  will  of  God."  ^ 

And  rightly  so.  For  the  will  of  man  now  scarcely  re- 
tains even  that  love  of  right  and  justice  which  was  im- 
planted in  the  human  heart  by  the  Almighty  Creator, 
and  which  was  intended  to  lead  to  what  is  the  true  good, 
and  not  to  what  is  only  a  shadow.  Depraved  by  the 
primal  fault  and  forgetful  of  God,  its  Maker,  it  directs 
eveiything  to  the  cultivation  of  vanity  and  the  pui'suit 
of  falsehood.  Blinded  by  wicked  desires,  tHere  is  surely 
need  of  a  guide  to  lead  it  in  the  ways  of  justice  which 
have  been  unfortunately  abandoned. 

Of  course  the  natural  guide  is  the  human  mind,  but 
if  the  mind  has  not  its  proper  light,  viz. :  the  knowledge 
of  divine  things,  it  will  be  the  blind  leading  the  blind, 
ending  only  in  the  ditch.  The  holy  King  David,  praising 
God  for  the  light  of  truth  with  which  He  had  illumined 
the  intellect  exclaimed :  "  The  light  of  Thy  counte- 
nance, 0  Lord,  is  signed  upon  us."     And  he  signified 

1  Eph.  v,  3. 

2  Eph.  v,  15. 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTKIXE        221 

what  was  to  follow  upon  the  possession  of  this  gift  of 
light  when  he  added :  "  Thou  hast  given  gladness  in  my 
heart ;"  ^  to  wit,  that  gladness  with  which  the  heart 
is  dilated  when  it  runs  in  the  ways  of  God's  command- 
ments. 

Whosoever  considers  this  will  perceive  how  true  it  is 
that  Christian  truth,  more  perfectly  than  the  mere  pow- 
ers of  nature,  shows  us  the  nature  of  God  and  His  in- 
finite perfections. 

Why  should  it  not  be  so?  Christian  truth  bids  us 
revere  Almighty  God  by  faith,  which  is  an  act  of  the 
mind;  by  hope,  which  is  an  act  of  the  will;  by  charity, 
which  is  an  act  of  the  heart,  and  thus  it  subjects  the 
whole  man  to  its  Supreme  Author  and  Ruler.  In  the 
same  way  the  doctrine  of  Jesus  Christ  unfolds  for  us  the 
true  nobility  of  human  nature,  inasmuch  as  it  reveals 
man  as  the  son  of  the  Heavenly  Father^  after  whose 
likeness  he  is  made,  and  holds  out  to  him  an  eternal  and 
glorious  reward.  But  from  this  veiy  dignity  with 
which  man  is  invested  and  from  the  knowledge  of  it, 
Christ  wishes  us  to  learn  that  we  should  love  one  another 
and  live  as  behooves  the  sons  of  light,  "  not  in  rioting 
and  drunkenness,  not  in  chamberings  and  impurities, 
not  in  contention  and  envy."  ^ 

He  likewise  enjoins  upon  us  to  cast  all  our  care  upon 
God,  knowing  that  He  will  provide  for  us.  He  bids  us 
give  to  the  poor,  to  do  good  to  those  who  hate  us,  to 
place  the  eternal  advantage  of  our  soul  above  the  fleet- 
ing pleasures  of  this  world.     And,  not  to  speak  of  all 

1  Ps.  iv,  7. 

2  Rom.  xiii,  13. 


222  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

these  things  in  detail,  does  not  the  teaching  of  Christ 
appeal  to  and  command  the  proud  to  cultivate  that  hu- 
mility of  soul  which  is  the  origin  of  true  glory?  "  Who- 
ever, therefore,  shall  humble  himself  he  is  the  greater  in 
the  kingdom  of  heaven."  ^  It  teaches  us  that  prudence 
of  the  spirit  which  wards  off  the  prudence  of  the  flesh; 
that  justice  which  gives  each  his  own;  that  fortitude 
which  makes  us  ready  to  bear  all  things,  and  with 
resolute  heart  to  suffer  for  God  and  our  eternal  happi- 
ness. Finally  it  teaches  that  temperance  by  which  we 
even  love  poverty  for  the  sake  of  the  kingdom  of  God, 
nay,  by  which  we  "  glory  in  the  cross  of  Christ,  de- 
spising the  shame."  Hence  it  follows  that  not  only  does 
Christian  teaching  illumme  the  mind  and  enable  it  to 
attain  the  truth,  but  it  inflames  the  will  and  enkindles 
that  ardor  which  makes  us  aspire  to  God  and  unite  our- 
selves with  Him  by  the  exercise  of  every  virtue. 

It  is  not  Our  purpose  to  assert  that  depravity  of  the 
heart  is  inconsistent  with  knowledge  of  religious  truth : 
Would  that  facts  did  not  prove  the  contrary!  But  We 
say  that  where  the  mind  is  enveloped  in  the  dark  clouds 
of  ignorance,  there  cannot  be  either  rectitude  or  mo- 
rality. For  although  a  man  with  eyes  open  can  turn  away 
from  the  right  path,  the  blind  man  is  constantly  in  dan- 
ger of  going  wrong.  Moreover,  whereas  if  the  light  of 
faith  is  not  wholly  extinct,  there  is  always  a  hope  of 
reformation ;  depravity  of  morals,  united  with  ignorance 
of  the  truth,  leaves  scarcely  any  remedy,  and  leaves  the 
road  open  that  leads  to  ruin. 

Smee  therefore  so  many  and  such  serious  evils  result 

1  Matt,  xviii,  4. 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE        223 

from  ignorance,  and  since,  on  the  other  hand,  there  is 
such  need  of  and  such  helpfulness  in  religious  instruc- 
tion, it  is  in  vain  for  any  one  to  hope  to  fulfill  his  duty 
unless  he  knows  what  that  duty  is.  Upon  whom  the 
task  devolves  to  do  away  with  this  fatal  ignorance  and 
to  impart  to  men's  minds  the  knowledge  which  it  is  so 
necessary  to  possess,  let  us  now  stop  to  consider. 

On  whom  it  devolves,  Venerable  Brothers,  admits  of 
no  doubt;  for  this  most  important  duty  regards  all  who 
are  charged  with  the  care  of  souls.  They  are  bound  by 
the  precept  of  Christ  to  know  and  feed  the  flock  in- 
trusted to  them.  But  to  feed  is,  first  of  all,  to  teach : 
"  I  will  give  you  "■ —  thus  God  promised  by  Jeremias  — 
"  pastors  according  to  my  own  heart,  and  they  shall  feed 
you  with  knowledge  and  doctrine."  ^  Wherefore  Paul 
the  Apostle  said,  "  Christ  sent  me  not  to  baptise,  but  to 
preach  the  Gospel,"  ^  indicating  that  the  first  duty  of 
those  who  in  any  degree  are  set  over  the  government  of 
the  Church  is  the  instruction  of  the  faithful  in  sacred 
things. 

We  deem  it  superfluous  to  dwell  at  greater  length  in 
praising  such  instruction  or  showing  its  value  in  the 
eyes  of  God.  No  doubt  the  pity  we  manifest  in  reliev- 
ing the  wants  of  the  poor  is  most  acceptable  to  God; 
but  who  will  question  that  the  care  and  labor  by  which 
we  procure  not  transient  benefits  for  the  bodj^  but  eter- 
nal for  souls  by  teaching  and  w^arning  them  are  far 
more  acceptable.  Nothing  certainly  can  be  more  desir- 
able, nothing  more  pleasing  to  Jesus  Christ,  the  Redeemer 

1  Jerem.   ill,  15. 

2  1  Ccr.  i,  17. 


224  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

of  immortal  souls,  Wlio  said  of  Himself  by  Isaias  "  He 
hath  sent  me  to  preach  the  Gospel  to  the  poor."  ^ 

It  is  important,  Venerable  Brothers,  to  emphasize  and 
urge  this  in  a  particular  manner,  that  no  weightier  duty 
is  appointed  unto  priests,  and  by  no  stricter  obligations 
are  they  bound.  Li  a  priest  holiness  of  life  must  be  ac- 
companied by  knowledge :  "  The  lips  of  the  priest  shall 
keep  knowledge ;"  ^  and  the  Church  strongly  insists 
upon  it  for  those  who  are  about  to  enter  the  sacred  min- 
istry. Wherefore  does  she  so  insist  ?  Because  the  Chris- 
tian people  expect  from  them  the  knowledge  of  the  Di- 
vme  law,  and  God  chooses  them  to  impart  it :  "  They 
shall  seek  the  law  at  his  mouth ;  because  he  is  the  Angel 
of  the  Lord  of  hosts."  ^  On  this  account  the  Bishop  at 
oi'dination  thus  addresses  the  candidates  for  the  priest- 
hood :  "  Let  your  doctrine  be  the  spiritual  medicine  of 
the  people  of  God ;  let  them  be  provident  helpers  of  our 
order ;  that,  meditatmg  upon  the  law  day  and  night,  they 
may  believe  what  they  read,  and  teach  what  they  have 
believed,"  *  If  these  words  apply  to  all  priests,  what 
must  be  thought  of  those  who,  having  official  rank 
and  power,  are  charged  with  the  government  of  souls 
by  virtue  of  their  priestly  dignity  and,  as  it  were  by  a 
sacred  contract.  They  are  the  pastors  and  doctors  whom 
Christ  hath  given  that  the  faithful  be  no  longer  chil- 
dren tossed  to  and  fro,  and  carried  about  with  eveiy 
wind   of  doctrine  by  the  wickedness  of  men;   but  by 

1  Luke  iv,  18. 

2  Mai.  ii,  7. 

3  Mai.  ii,  7. 

*  Pontif.  Rom. 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE      225 

doing  the  truth  in  charity,  they  may  in  all  things  gi-ow 
up  in  Him,  Who  is  the  Head,  even  Christ.^ 

Wherefore  the  holy  Council  of  Trent,  considering  the 
pastors  of  souls,  declared  that  their  first  and  chief  duty 
was  to  teach  the  faithful  of  Christ.  Hence  it  commands 
them  to  explain  the  truths  of  religion  to  the  people  at 
least  on  Simdays  and  more  solemn  festivals,  and  every 
day,  or  certamly  three  times  a  week,  in  the  sacred  sea- 
sons of  Advent  and  Lent.  Nor  is  this  all,  for  it  adds 
that  parish-priests  are  bound,  at  least  on  these  same  Sun- 
days and  festivals,  either  personally  or  by  others,  to  in- 
struct the  children  in  the  truths  of  faith,  and  to  train 
them  in  obedience  to  God  and  their  parents.  When, 
moreover,  the  Sacraments  are  to  be  administered,  it 
orders  that  those  who  are  to  receive  them  be  instructed 
in  plain  and  simple  language  regarding  their  effects. 

These  prescriptions  of  the  holy  Synod,  Benedict  XIV,, 
our  predecessor,  thus  summarized  and  defined  more  dis- 
tinctly in  his  Constitution  Etsi  minime :  "  Two  duties 
particularly  are  imposed  by  the  Council  of  Trent  on  tTie 
guardians  of  souls:  one,  that  they  should  speak  to  the 
people  about  Divine  things  on  festival  days;  the  other 
that  they  should  instruct  children  and  all  less  intelligent 
persons  in  the  rudiments  of  faith  and  of  the  Divine 
Law."  Rightly,  indeed,  does  the  prudent  Pontiff  distin- 
guish the  twofold  office:  of  delivering  an  address  — 
which  is  usually  called  an  explanation  of  the  Gospel  — 
and  of  teaching  Christian  doctrine.  For  there  may  not 
be  wanting  some  who,  for  the  sake  of  lessening  labor, 
may  persuade  themselves  that  the  homily  may  take  the 

1  Ephes.  iv,  14-15. 


226  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

place  of  catechism  —  a  mistake  evident  to  all  who  reflect. 
The  sermon  on  the  Gospel  is  addressed  to  those  who  hav.e 
been  already  imbued  with  the  elements  of  the  faith.  It 
may  be  called  the  bread  distributed  to  grown  people. 
Catechetical  teaching,  on  the  contrary,  is  the  milk  which 
the  Apostle  Peter  wished  the  people  to  desire  without 
guile.  That  is  to  say,  the  office  of  the  catechist  consists 
in  taking  up  for  explanation  a  truth  pertaining  to  faith 
or  morals,  and  making  it  clear  from  every  point  of  view. 
And  since  the  purpose  of  teaching  should  be  amendment 
of  life,  the  catechist  must  institute  a  comparison  between 
what  God  commands  to  be  done  and  what  men  do  in 
point  of  fact;  then,  making  timely  use  of  examples 
drawn  from  the  Sacred  Scriptures,  ecclesiastical  history, 
or  the  lives  of  the  Saints,  he  must  persuade  his  hearers, 
and  point  out  to  them  clearly  how  they  are  to  set  their 
conduct  in  order;  finally,  let  him  exhort  all  present  to 
abhor  and  fly  vice  and  to  pursue  a  virtuous  life. 

We  understand,  indeed,  that  such  a  duty  as  this  of 
teaching  Christian  doctrme  is  unattractive  to  not  a  few 
as  not  being  generally  held  in  high  estimation,  nor  per- 
haps likely  to  attract  popular  praise.  But  for  Our  part, 
We  consider  that  such  an  opinion  is  founded  rather  on 
thoughtlessness  than  truth.  Sacred  orators,  who,  from 
a  sincere  desire  of  glorifying  God,  justify  and  defend  the 
faith,  or  proclaim  the  glories  of  the  Saints,  are  cer- 
tainly to  be  praised.  But  this  work  supposes  a  preced- 
ing one;  that,  namely,  of  the  catechist;  which,  if  it  has 
been  omitted,  the  f  omidations  on  which  to  build  the  house 
have  not  been  laid.  Too  often  do  the  most  ornate  dis- 
covirses,   which  receive   the  loud   applause   of  crowded 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE        227 

assemblages,  sei-ve  only  to  tickle  men's  ears,  without  at 
all  moving  their  hearts.  Catechetical  instnxction,  on  the 
other  hand,  although  unpretentious  and  simple,  is  that 
word  to  which  God  Himself  witnesseth  by  Isaias :  "  As 
the  ram  and  the  snow  come  down  from  heaven  and 
return  no  more  thither,  but  soak  the  earth  and  water  it, 
and  make  it  to  spring  and  give  seed  to  the  sower  and 
bread  to  the  eater;  so  shall  my  word  be,  which  shall  go 
forth  from  my  mouth :  it  shall  not  return  to  me  void, 
but  it  shall  do  whatsoever  I  please,  and  shall  prosper  in 
the  things  for  which  I  sent  it."  ^  A  like  opinion  should 
we  fonn  of  those  priests  who  laboriously  write  books 
in  defense  of  the  truths  of  religion :  They  are  certainly 
worthy  of  much  praise.  But  how  many  persons  will 
study  these  volumes  and  draw  profit  from  them  com- 
mensurate with  the  authoi-'s  labor  and  desires'?  Whereas, 
the  explanation  of  Christian  doctrine,  if  it  be  duly 
given,  is  never  fruitless  for  the  hearers. 

It  will  further  inflame  the  zeal  of  the  ministers  of  God 
to  recall  the  enormous  and  constantly  increasing  num- 
ber of  persons  who  either  know  nothing  at  all  of  re- 
ligion, or  who  have  only  such  a  knowledge  of  God  and 
of  the  Christian  faith,  that,  in  the  midst  of  the  light  of 
Catholic  truth,  they  lead  the  lives  of  idolaters.  How 
many,  alas!  there  are,  not  children  merely,  but  adults, 
who,  even  at  an  advanced  age,  are  entirely  unacquainted 
with  the  principal  mj'steries  of  the  faith ;  who,  when 
they  hear  the  name  of  Christ,  ask  "  Who  is  He  that  I 
may  believe  in  Himl"-     Hence  it  is  that  they  foment 

1  Isa.  Iv,  10-11. 

2  John  ix,  36. 


228  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

hatred  between  men;  they  form  criminal  associations; 
they  engage  in  dishonest  business;  they  usuriously  seize 
the  property  of  others,  and  consider  these  and  similar 
things  no  crime.  Hence,  ignoring  the  law  of  Christ, 
which  condemns  not  only  unclean  deeds,  but  thoughts 
also  and  desires,  although  refraining  perhaps,  for  one 
reason  or  another,  from  obscene  pleasures,  they  reject 
no  sinful  thought.  There  being  no  religion  in  their 
hearts,  their  sins  are  multiplied  beyond  the  hairs  of 
their  heads.  These  thing-s,  in  truth,  it  is  well  to  remem- 
ber, occur  not  merely  among  the  rude  and  wretched,  but 
also,  and  perhaps  more  frequently,  among  persons  of 
loftier  station,  and  amongst  those  whom  science  inflates, 
who,  in  the  conceit  of  vain  learning,  deem  religion  a 
thing  to  be  laughed  at,  and  "  blaspheme  whatever  things 
they  know  not."  ^ 

Now  if  a  harvest  is  vainly  expected  from  ground 
which  has  received  no  seed,  how  shall  we  look  for  good 
morals  in  a  generation  which  has  not  received  Chris- 
tian instruction?  Wherefore,  we  justly  conclude,  that 
since  faith  has  so  languished  that  in  many  persons  it 
seems  to  be  dying,  the  duty  of  catechetical  instruction 
must  have  been  negligently  performed  or  altogether 
omitted.  It  is  but  a  false  excuse  to  pretend  that  faith 
is  a  gratuitous  gift  conferred  on  each  one  in  Baptism. 
All  who  are  baptized  in  Christ  do  indeed  receive  the 
habit  of  faith ;  but  this  divinest  seed  does  not  "  grow 
up  and  shoot  out  great  branches "  -  by  its  own  innate 
power.    As  there  is  in  man  from  birth  the  faculty  of 

1  Jude  i,  10. 

2  Mark  iv,  32. 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE       229 

understanding,  which  needs  the  mother's  promptings  to 
develop  into  efficiency,  so  it  does  not  happen  othei^wise  to 
the  Christian,  who,  bom  anew  of  water  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  is  imbued  with  faith.  He  needs  Christian  for- 
mation, that  faith  may  be  fostered  and  may  increase  and 
bear  fruit.  Hence  the  Apostle  wrote :  "  Faith  cometh 
by  hearing,  and  hearing  by  the  Word  of  Christ."  ^  But 
that  he  might  show  the  necessity  of  teaching,  he  added, 
"How  shall  they  hear  without  a  preacher'?" 

If  therefore,  from  all  that  has  been  hitherto  said,  it  is 
clear  of  what  importance  is  the  religious  training  of  the 
people,  it  should  be  Our  greatest  concern  that  the  teach- 
ing of  Christian  doctrine,  than  which,  to  use  the  words 
of  Our  Predecessor  Benedict  XIV.,  nothing  more  use- 
ful has  been  instituted,  should  always  be  vigorously 
maintained,  and  where  it  has  fallen  into  disuse  re- 
stored. 

Therefore,  Venerable  Brothers,  wishing  to  satisfy  the 
weighty  obligations  of  Our  high  and  apostolic  office,  and 
desiring  to  see  uniformity  of  custom  everywhere  estab- 
lished in  so  important  a  matter,  We  do  decree  and 
strictly  cormnand  that  in  all  dioceses  throughout  the 
world  the  following  regulations  be  observed  and  en- 
forced : 

I.  All  parish  priests,  and  in  general  all  to  whom  the 
care  of  souls  is  committed,  must  teach  the  catechism  to 
their  young  boys  and  girls  for  the  space  of  one  hour  on 
all  Sundays  and  holy  days  of  the  year  without  excep- 
tion ;  explaining  to  them  what  each  is  bound  to  believe 
and  practise  in  order  to  attain  eternal  salvation. 

1  Rom.  X,  17. 


230  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

II.  They  shall  also  at  stated  times  in  the  year  care- 
fully prepare  these  children  for  the  Sacraments  of  Pen- 
ance and  Confirmation  by  courses  of  instruction  extend- 
ing through  many  days. 

III.  Likewise,  by  means  of  appropriate  instructions 
and  exhortations,  given  every  day  during  the  Lenten  sea- 
son, and  if  necessary  also  after  Easter,  they  shall,  but 
with  very  particular  care  and  diligence,  prepare  their 
yomag  people  of  both  sexes  for  a  worthy  reception  of 
their  first  Holy  Communion. 

IV.  Let  there  be  eanonically  established  in  every 
parish  the  association  commonly  known  as  the  Society  of 
Christian  Doctrine,  by  means  of  which,  especially  where 
the  number  of  priests  is  small,  pastors  may  secure  lay 
help  in  the  teaching  of  Catechism;  and  these  lay  teach- 
ers should  apply  themselves  to  their  task  out  of  zeal 
for  the  gloiy  of  God,  as  well  as  from  a  desire  to  gain 
the  rich  indulgences  lavishly  granted  by  the  Roman  Pon- 
tiffs. 

V.  In  the  larger  cities,  especially  where  there  are 
public  academies,  colleges  and  universities,  let  religious 
doctrine  classes  be  established  for  the  purpose  of  teach- 
ing the  truths  of  our  faith  and  the  precepts  of  Christian 
morality  to  the  youths  who  attend  such  public  institu- 
tions wherein  no  mention  whatsoever  is  made  of  re- 
ligion. 

VI.  And  since,  in  our  times  especially,  those  more 
advanced  in  years  stand  in  no  less  need  of  religious  in- 
struction than  do  the  young,  all  pastors  and  others  hav- 
ing the  care  of  souls  shall,  on  Sundays  and  holy  days, 
and  at  an  hour  most  convenient  for  the  piajority  of  the 


TEACHIXG  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE        231 

faithful,  instruct  them  in  the  catechism,  using  plain  and 
simple  language,  adapted  to  their  intelligence.  This, 
moreover,  is  in  addition  to  the  usual  homily  on  the  Gos- 
pel prescribed  for  the  parish  Mass,  and  the  hour  chosen 
should  not  conflict  with  that  of  the  children's  instruc- 
tion. The  Catechism  of  the  Council  of  Trent  should  be 
followed  in  all  these  instructions,  which  ought  to  be  so 
ordered  as  to  cover  in  the  space  of  four  or  five  years 
the  entire  matter  of  the  Apostles'  Creed,  the  Saei'aments, 
the  Ten  Commandments,  Prayer  and  the  Precepts  of  the 
Church. 

All  this,  Venerable  Brethren,  We  determine  and  decree 
by  Our  Apostolic  authority';  it  will  now  be  your  duty, 
each  in  his  own  diocese,  to  put  it  into  effect  immediately 
and  in  every  detail. 

Moreover,  it  wUl  be  incumbent  upon  you  to  be  vigi- 
lant in  this  matter,  using  your  authority  unto  the  end 
that  what  We  now  enjoin  be  not  overlooked  and  forgot- 
ten, or,  what  would  be  as  bad,  that  it  be  not  put  into 
effect  negligently  and  listlessly.  Indeed,  if  you  would 
prevent  such  a  result,  you  must  constantly  exhort  and 
urge  your  pastors  not  to  attempt  these  catechetical  in- 
structions offhand,  but  rather  to  prepare  for  them  with 
the  utmost  care;  for  thus  they  will  not  discourse  in  the 
words  of  human  wisdom,  but  ''  in  simplicity  of  heart 
and  the  sincerity  of  God."  ^  Let  them  take  pattern 
by  Christ  Himself,  "V\Tio  though  uttering  "  things  hidden 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,"  -  nevertheless  de- 
clared all  things  "in  parables  to  the  multitudes;  and 

12  Cor.  i,  12. 
2  Matt,  xiii,  35. 


232  PIUS  THE  TENTH 

without  parables  he  did  not  speak  to  them."  ^  We 
know,  too,  that  the  Apostles  who  were  tramed  by  Our 
Lord,  did  the  same;  and  St.  Gregory  the  Great  used  to 
say  that  "  their  greatest  care  was  to  preach  to  the  sim- 
ple people  the  plainest  truths,  things  not  high  and  lofty, 
but  such  as  they  could  easily  comprehend."  ^  And  in 
matters  of  religion  it  is  the  same  now  as  then  —  most 
men  are  to  be  moved  and  won  by  what  is  most  simple 
and  direct. 

Now  it  would  be  a  mistake,  and  far  from  Our  in- 
tention, were  any  one  to  conclude,  from  what  We  have 
said  about  this  striving  after  simplicity  in  religious  in- 
struction, that  such  manner  of  discourse  calls  for  no 
effort,  no  thoughtful  preparation.  On  the  contrary,  it 
demands  much  more  than  any  other  kind  of  public 
speaking.  Far  easier  is  it  to  find  an  orator  who  can  de- 
liver an  elaborate  and  brilliant  sermon  than  a  cateehist 
able  to  give  a  simple  but  flawless  instruction.  Therefore, 
however  much  one  may  be  gifted  by  nature  with  ease 
in  composition  or  fluency  of  expression,  let  him  never- 
theless be  persuaded  of  this  —  that  he  will  never  derive 
any  real  fruit  for  souls  from  his  instructions  on  Chris- 
tian doctrine  to  children  or  to  the  people,  unless  he  has 
well  prepared  himself  by  long  and  careful  study  and 
meditation.  It  is  a  gTievous  mistake  to  count  on  the 
people's  ignorance  or  slowness  of  comprehension,  and 
use  this  as  an  excuse  for  negligence  in  the  matter  of 
preparation.  The  fact  is,  that  the  less  cultured  one's 
audience,  the  greater  care  and  pains  must  be  taken  to 

ilbid.  34. 

2  I  Moral,  xvii,  26. 


TEACHING  OF  CHRISTIAN  DOCTRINE        233 

bring  within  the  reach  of  their  feebler  comprehension 
truths  the  most  sublime  and  far  above  the  reach  of  the 
ordinary  intelligence, —  yet,  truths  as  necessary  to  salva- 
tion for  the  ignorant  as  for  the  learned. 

And  now.  Venerable  Brethren,  before  closing  this  let- 
ter. We  shall  addi-ess  to  you  the  words  of  Moses:  "If 
any  man  be  on  the  Lord's  side,  let  him  join  with  me."  ^ 
Consider  well.  We  entreat  and  beseech  you,  what  a  loss 
to  souls  arises  from  this  one  cause,  ignorance  of  the 
things  of  God.  There  may  doubtless  be  many  useful 
and  praiseworthy  works  established  in  your  diocese  for 
the  good  of  the  flock  entrusted  to  you,  yet  it  should  be 
your  desire  and  ambition,  before  all  else,  to  urge  this 
present  matter  with  all  possible  zeal  and  insistence,  to 
work  for  and  promote  this  one  great  end  —  that  knowl- 
edge of  Christian  doctrine  may  thoroughly  pervade  and 
imbue  the  minds  of  all  the  faithful.  In  the  words  of 
the  Apostle,  St.  Peter:  "As  eveiy  man  hath  received 
grace,  ministering  the  same  one  to  another,  as  good  stew- 
ards of  the  manifold  grace  of  God."  ^ 

And  while  the  Most  Blessed  and  Immaculate  Virgin 
will  continually  intercede  for  the  success  of  your  earnest 
and  zealous  efforts,  they  shall  also  be  favored  by  Our 
Apostolic  Benediction,  which  We  lovingly  impart  to 
yourselves,  to  your  clergy  and  to  the  faithful  under  your 
care,  both  as  a  testimony  o-f  Our  affection  and  as  a 
pledge  of  heavenly  graces. 

Pius  X.,  Pope. 

St.  Petei-'s,  Rome,  April  15,  1905,  in  the  second  year 
of  Our  Pontificate. 

1  Exod.  xxxii,  26. 

2  1  Peter  iv,  10. 


DATE  DUE 

■^ii&SSBim 

_.       

WlHiiiiiiiiinil, 

1 

GAYLORD 

PRINTED  IN  U.S.A. 

